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Outrage as James Clapper, other Hunter Biden laptop skeptics suddenly speak out against media: 'What a fraud'
Fox News ^ | 2/14/23 | David Rutz, Brian Flood

Posted on 02/14/2023 2:40:42 AM PST by Libloather

It's now an infamous headline among conservatives and a sore spot for Politico. But at the time, the October 19, 2020, story by Natasha Bertrand had its intended bombshell effect with this headline: "Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say."

Now former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says Politico "deliberately distorted" the letter he and more than 50 others – many of them open Joe Biden supporters – signed. Critics are wondering why the players in the story are speaking out more than two years later – just as House Republicans are investigating the matter – and why they didn't cry foul at their own words being twisted at the time.

"If James Clapper knew Politico and Natasha Bertrand were lying about what their letter said, why didn't he say so then?" journalist Glenn Greenwald asked on Monday. "Reality: the CIA/IC people lying wanted the media to spread this. Only now that someone has to take the hit is Clapper saying Politico lied."

Clapper's remarks showed up in a lengthy fact-check by the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler on Monday, which broke down the letter itself and how it was also falsely characterized by then-candidate Joe Biden in the closing weeks of the 2020 election. Biden claimed at a debate with then-President Trump that intelligence officials had declared the laptop reported on by the New York Post was a "Russian plan." Another letter signer, former deputy director of National Intelligence for analysis Thomas Fingar, told Kessler that no one should be "surprised" by the media or politicians that "willfully or unintentionally" misconstrue statements.

Kessler noted Politico's headline did not accurately reflect the letter's contents, which were not quite as conclusive, but rather suggested the laptop had the "earmarks" of a Kremlin disinformation operation.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Conspiracy; Local News
KEYWORDS: bertrand; cia; clapper; fbi; fraud; ginger; hunter; intelofficials; letter; media; natashabertrand; thomasfingar
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Go with what's hot - blame the UFOs.
1 posted on 02/14/2023 2:40:42 AM PST by Libloather
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To: Libloather

Once we banged-up all of the UFO crap...what’s next? Bigfoot, rabies in NYC, or new drug to make people into zombies?


2 posted on 02/14/2023 2:45:08 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: Libloather

It took two years for any of the 50+ experts to realize that this very famous and well-publicized letter was “misunderstood”? I don’t think so.


3 posted on 02/14/2023 3:02:04 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (“You want it one way, but it’s the other way”)
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To: pepsionice

Go to Rumble and watch “Cosmic Hoax”


4 posted on 02/14/2023 3:03:33 AM PST by DaiHuy (I support LGBTQ. (Lets Get Biden to Quit.))
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To: Libloather

They are being subpoenaed by Congress!


5 posted on 02/14/2023 3:07:47 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Officials signing the letter knew they were intentionally misleading the public to cover the Biden family corruption.
Brett Baer interviewed a signatory and the line “earmarks of Russian misinformation “ was the cover story.


6 posted on 02/14/2023 3:20:36 AM PST by griswold3 (Truth, Beauty and Goodness )
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To: Libloather

No. There’s no walking it back now, A-holes.


7 posted on 02/14/2023 3:21:24 AM PST by FLT-bird
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To: FLT-bird

Deliberate misinformation and lies on the part of those picked to head our “intelligence” agencies. No wonder there weren’t any WMDs in Iraq, leading to an incredibly costly war, tens of thousands of ruined lives, and constant deception based on nutty conspiracy theories and human sources like Achmed Chalabi with criminal backgrounds you wouldn’t trust to give you driving directions to the next block. “You can take it to the bank, Mr. President”.


8 posted on 02/14/2023 3:29:00 AM PST by laconic
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To: Libloather

Ignore the bast_rds.


9 posted on 02/14/2023 3:30:19 AM PST by popdonnelly (All the enormous crimes in history have been committed by governments.)
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To: Libloather

Ignore the bast_rds.


10 posted on 02/14/2023 3:31:28 AM PST by popdonnelly (All the enormous crimes in history have been committed by governments.)
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To: Libloather
Why is it that these asswipes like Clapper think the average American citizen can’t read? (That excludes the below average citizen that can’t read, but they are Democrats.) The letter was published. People read it.

These deep staters have a superiority complex that must be compensating for a lack of achievement and intelligence. They never built anything. I don’t consider growing government building by the way. It’s sort of like the dumb schmuck that wins the lottery and goes on a spending spree, except government types forcibly confiscate other people’s hard earn money.

11 posted on 02/14/2023 3:33:39 AM PST by ConservativeInPA (Stupidly is a moral problem, not an intellectual problem. )
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To: Libloather

It had the “earmarks” of Russian disinformation....

Anybody ever hear of a case, in all recorded history, of an entire laptop full of someone’s emails, photos, business dealings, family correspondence on all topics, covering years..

Being Russian disinformation? No one’s ever heard of such a case.

Plus it was the guy’s own laptop and he didn’t deny it was all his.

So then what were these “earmarks”? They didn’t exist.


12 posted on 02/14/2023 3:34:31 AM PST by Williams (Stop Tolerating The Intolerant)
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To: laconic

Yep. This “story” has all the hallmarks of Deep State and Corporate Media lying.


13 posted on 02/14/2023 3:35:14 AM PST by FLT-bird
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To: Libloather

James Clapper? He of the Steele dossier and Russiagate cabal? Does he think that is so far in the past that no one will remember?


14 posted on 02/14/2023 3:44:04 AM PST by sphinx
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To: Williams
The “earmarks of Russian disinformation” bullsh!t wasn’t intended to mislead the American public. Hardly anyone even read the stupid letter, wherever it was published.

It was published so the mainstream media would have an excuse not to talk about this clear and compelling evidence of corruption from top to bottom in the U.S. government.

15 posted on 02/14/2023 3:48:55 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: ClearCase_guy

He’s trying to avoid the noose.


16 posted on 02/14/2023 4:08:29 AM PST by nonliberal (Z.)
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To: laconic

There were mobile biolabs in Iraq, there were tons of precursors in Iraq, there was a children’s prison in Iraq, Saddam Hussein did bribe Scott Ritter and others using Khafaji, Salir Vincent, and oil vouchers, there was a prototype of banned equipment found in Iraq, and Saddam Hussein was in violation of the cease fire agreement he agreed to. Zarqawi’s terrorist group -later renamed ISIS and still under his command- did operate in and from both Baghdad and Northern Iraq and Syria prior to the invasion, and before the invasion did assassinate USAID official Lawrence Foley in Jordan. And Zarqawi’s group merged formally with an arm of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist Intel people commanded by his red headed General al during the insurgency.


17 posted on 02/14/2023 4:14:17 AM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: nonliberal

Clapper deserves it.


18 posted on 02/14/2023 4:28:33 AM PST by jospehm20
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To: Libloather

Such an obvious lie. Brennan prebunked the Hunter laptop story. Biden used it in the debate. Clapper is such obsequious rat. There should be severe consequences for anyone signing the letter.


19 posted on 02/14/2023 4:30:17 AM PST by DeplorablePaul (s)
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To: piasa

And there was a phony “insider” named Cueball, and a liar who said he met with AlQaeda in Prague who were supposedly acting in conjunction with Saddam, and the “George Washington of Iraq”, one Achmed Chalabi, who got one-half of one percent of the vote in the Iraqi election for president, and Saddam was supposedly trying to buy uranium or some such thing in Africa, and the population of Iraq used to be 10 percent Christian, and Iraq used to be the sworn enemy of Iran. And we used to have 4500 of our best in uniform who are now dead, and many more thousands maimed and for what?


20 posted on 02/14/2023 4:34:34 AM PST by laconic
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