Data from Hunter Biden's laptop is real and was not planted by Russians per CBS news

[JohnSJ]

"As Republicans take control of the House, they're gearing up to make good on their promises to investigate Hunter Biden. Now, CBS News has looked at the data of Hunter's infamous laptop that came directly from the source who said they provided it to the FBI under subpoena, and determined that it had not been doctored in any way, as some past reports have suggested."

"CBS News commissioned an independent forensic review of the laptop to determine its authenticity, which found that the data obtained is indeed from Hunter Biden's laptop and is real.

In the past, questions were raised as to whether the files from the laptop were doctored or if additional files were added by operatives looking to frame the Biden family. As CBS News points out, Biden himself called the laptop controversy a "Russian plant." Twitter even barred users from sharing an October 2020 New York Post story on the laptop, saying it was "Russian disinformation."

How in the hell did CBS get access to that data, and not even specifically saying what that data is, but leaving an ambiguity without specifics, is intentionally implying some sort of illegality.

Isn't this the supposed laptop that giuliani got his hands on illegally, from a computer repair shop?

How would this supposed expert determine that the data had NOT been altered.

Shame on CBS, and the memory of Mike Wallace, Walter Cronkite, and Edward R. Murrow

https://www.rawstory.com/hunter-biden-laptop-2658728508/

and of course the story comes courtesy of twitter, which is now run by someone who has no problem with racists, antisemites, sexists, and bigots, spewing their filth

[beaglelover]

1. Is this the same laptop that was in Rudy Guliani's possession?

[JohnSJ]

2. That is the only laptop I am aware of, and that alone makes it questionable as its integrity

[womanofthehills]

49. There might be more than one laptop

Last yr lots of videos & photos of Hunter surfaced on Twitter. In a particularly long video, Hunter was telling a woman that two men who he thought were friends stole his laptop. From the woman’s accent and their discussion I assumed they were in an apartment in Europe because Hunter was talking about his boss. . I’m not saying this is fact. It could also be an altered video, but we need to be open to there being more than one laptop.

[JohnSJ]

74. This is such a badly written and sourced story, it is an insult to the field of journalism

[pnwmom]

77. It has a buried lead. Toward the end of the CBS story, the computer person said he thinks

he saw a "pristine copy." In other words, that he saw the original BEFORE people like Giuliani got hold of it.

And either he or the reporter ALSO said -- near the very end of the report -- there was nothing in the copy he saw that implicated Joe Biden.

I wonder why Raw Story used such a misleading title?

[JohnSJ]

94. Thanks pnwmom

[dchill]

107. If 'he thinks he saw a "pristine copy"' were the headline...

... there'd be no article.

[pnwmom]

108. Since Raw Story is supposed to be a left leaning site, I don't know why it's not

considered important that computer people who examined an original, "pristine" copy of the hard drive found nothing on it to implicate Joe Biden.

[Kennah]

37. Was there a Ritz sticker on it?

[roamer65]

3. Probably ran Kaspersky software.

[JohnSJ]

4. LOL, No doubt, and given the seal of approval by putin

[Initech]

17. If you use Kaspersky, you might as well have a "hack me" sign taped to your laptop!

[Kennah]

38. Our state agency was using it, and I was asking a lot of question about why. We finally ditched it.

[Initech]

40. We use AVG though I'm not sure that's any better.

The pop ups, app tracking and updates are truly infuriating.

[videohead5]

67. Use free Bitdefender

It's much better. I just changed over to it instead of paying for an antivirus app.

[Tetrachloride]

42. There are quite a few strategies to avoid being hacked.

The tech companies have a lot to be shameful of.

[2naSalit]

19. LOL!

[highplainsdem]

5. Saw that. Story said they were given a copy of the data, though not the laptop itself.

[JohnSJ]

9. That even makes it more questionable highplains

[crickets]

24. ...and what's the chain of custody on the 'copy'?

[Gore1FL]

25. I doubt they even have a chain of custody on the laptop. nt

[crickets]

26. True. Also, I need to learn to use the sarcasm tag. 😉 nt

[SickOfTheOnePct]

6. Are there really people

Who believe it wasn't his laptop and his data?

[Nevilledog]

36. Absolutely

WHAT THAT REPORT PURPORTEDLY AUTHENTICATING THE “HUNTER BIDEN” “LAPTOP” REALLY SAID

https://www.emptywheel.net/2022/11/18/what-that-report-purportedly-authenticating-the-hunter-biden-laptop-really-said/

Here’s how The Post analyzed Hunter Biden’s laptop

https://archive.ph/b1Ser





I guess I'm interested in what information you have that makes you conclude the laptop and every single bit of information on it was Hunter Biden's?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

41. I have no additional info

But I have no doubt that I’d it wasn’t his laptop and data, the FBI would have been out in full force saying as much.

[wnylib]

44. I wonder why you believe that the FBI would be openly

commenting on an investigation in process.

[Nevilledog]

45. You think the FBI comes out and makes statements about lack of evidence?

How about the fact that years into having this supposed evidence there have been no charges filed?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

48. You can believe what you believe

And I’ll be believe what I believe.

If it’s not his laptop, then what is the investigation? They’ve had it for years, are you saying they would continue to investigate the laptop if it was not his?

[Nevilledog]

60. I've been a criminal defense attorney for 32 years. I have my opinions.

Who says the FBI is still investigating the laptop? GOP extremists.

The only info leaked in regards to open investigations of Hunter Biden is for tax violations and lying on forms for the purchase of a firearm. Those are not laptop related.


You might also want to consider the Russian disinformation angle and the fact that Senate Republicans already did an investigation into Hunter and Ukraine.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a34127323/ron-johnson-ukraine-biden-report/

https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2021/05/03/murphys-law-ron-johnson-looks-like-russian-tool/




There's no feasible way the laptop or information allegedly recovered from it will ever be used in a criminal prosecution because of the chain of custody and authentication issues. The GOP doesn't care because their purpose is to try and smear Joe Biden. It's a dog and pony show to feed their extremist base.

[onecaliberal]

75. All of this!

Not to mention, look at what the criminals did who left the White House with the Orange murderer.

[KS Toronado]

81. Be nice if they checked it for DNA

and only found Qpublicans on it and which ones.

[Ford_Prefect]

62. So far no-one can certify what is on the drive as original. There is ongoing debate as to how the

laptop got to the "repairman" and how it was handled after that point. The FBI said there was no basis to consider the laptop as untainted evidence. That doesn't answer other questions raised about the deals and his taxes.

The laptop is an obvious MacGuffin to say the very least. The Washington Post story made that inarguably clear. https://www.emptywheel.net/2022/11/18/what-that-report-purportedly-authenticating-the-hunter-biden-laptop-really-said/

[former9thward]

61. The DOJ is reviewing the FBI findings.

Federal agents see chargeable tax, gun-purchase case against Hunter Biden

Federal agents investigating President Biden’s son Hunter have gathered what they believe is sufficient evidence to charge him with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase, according to people familiar with the case. The next step is for the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, a Trump administration holdover, to decide on whether to file such charges, these people said.

The investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018, and became a central focus for then-president Donald Trump during his unsuccessful 2020 reelection effort. Initially, the investigation centered around Hunter Biden’s finances related to overseas business ties and consulting work. Over time, investigators with multiple agencies focused closely on whether he did not report all of his income, and whether he lied on gun purchase paperwork in 2018, according to the people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing case.

Agents determined months ago they had assembled a viable criminal case against the younger Biden. But it is ultimately up to prosecutors at the Justice Department, not agents, to decide whether to file charges in cases where prosecutors believe the evidence is strong enough to lead to a likely conviction at trial.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/10/06/hunter-biden-tax-gun-charges/

[Genki Hikari]

85. And that has little to do with the laptop

And the DOJ wouldn't have handed it over to CBS, even if they were investigating it.

So that point is moot.

[former9thward]

90. The FBI leaks when it wants to.

So yes, they certainly could leak to CBS for whatever reason. I agree that tax and gun violations probably have little to do with the laptop.

[Genki Hikari]

99. I doubt that they would do it over this.

Too much blowback could come from it this time. It's not a former public servant married to an ex-President, a lowly woman--who cares about dumb broads like that?

Hunter is the son of a current POTUS they're dealing with.

Too much can go wrong leaking anything from that.

This was an r thug leak. Count on it.

[kwijybo]

87. Gun charges are from his book

Where he admitted buying a gun. I forget which part he lied on the form about (based on the book), the being addicted to/using drugs question, I think.

[former9thward]

92. Yes and I very much doubt we will see charges for that issue.

Violations or not it is just too minor for the DOJ to typically pursue in court.

[MichMan]

102. I doubt Merrick Garland will ever charge Hunter with anything

"Don't fuck with a Biden !"

[Cha]

55. Mahalo for the lnk, Nevelledog! nt

[Nevilledog]

63. Congrats on your posting milestone. You rock!

[Cha]

105. Mahalo! So Do you!💙

20 years.. Whoosh!

[Kingofalldems]

106. These people COMPLETELY ignore chain of custody.

[Sympthsical]

79. It is a deep deep hole in that sand

Deep.

It's kind of fascinating though. From a sociological perspective.

[Genki Hikari]

83. It's impossible to know what to believe about it

Since the chain of custody is so tainted.

I wouldn't trust anything found on it to be accurate, other than the OS and maybe some of the pre-installed software that would have come with it.

[sarcasmo]

7. M$M will show their true colors with the Hunter Biden "investigation."

[Peacetrain]

8. I have no idea what was supposed to be on Hunters lap top..

It just seemed so weird ... since I did not vote to elect one Hunter Biden.. just never followed it

[JohnSJ]

12. +++

[PatSeg]

33. I don't either

Reminds me of all the buzz about Hillary's "emails", but no one reported what was so awful about them. It was just, "What about her emails" and everyone just assumed it was really, really bad. All I can recall hearing is that a few emails were marked "confidential" and later designated "classified".

So now, it is "What about Hunter's laptop?" And everyone also assumes it is really incriminating without any actual details. Meanwhile, if it DOES makes Hunter look bad, what does that have to do with President Biden? CBS should be ashamed of themselves. There are so many very real stories out there, but they chose this.

[maddiemom]

52. Isn't he a top advisor to his dad?...Oh WAIT...Those were TFG's kids...

[markodochartaigh]

57. If you click on the RawStory link

you get this: "Biden has consistently denied knowledge of his son's work or receiving any financial benefits from it, but Republicans say an email found on the laptop outlining business dealings with a Chinese energy firm is one reason why investigations are needed. Two of Hunter Biden's former business associates have told news outlets that the president's son was indeed kicking profits back to his father."

Of course if one third of the US heard that President Biden was a shapeshifting alien from the Planet of the Apes, they would believe it. But for the middle third, just in case they do decide to vote, and for a small percentage of Democratic voters who might be swayed by two solid fucking years of the Republican Congressional ShitShow and maybe, it is beginning to look like, wall to wall MSM coverage, the Democrats better develop a coherent, quick and easy explanation that will stand up to nonstop lies, and they better broadcast their message nonstop and in unison.

[Genki Hikari]

96. The traitor r thugs

Act like it's some kind of crime for a Democrat's kid to get ahead because he has a famous daddy.

No r traitor scum would have any kind of power in this country if that mattered to anyone at all.

They're just mad because Joe was too clean to go after, so they went after his druggie kid who they think couldn't possibly have gotten on a gas company's board, even though:

He went to Georgetown and Yale Law without flunking out.

He worked in the Commerce Department of our government and wasn't ever arrested for corruption.

He had started an investment firm that didn't go belly up.

He was on the board of Amtrak--you know: Transportation. Fuel. The sort of experience that might prove useful to an oil company in a burgeoning democracy. And guess who appointed him to Amtrak? Daddy? Nope. GDUB BUSH. That's right. He was an R-appointed board member.

They can't stand it that he wasn't a total failure, despite the drug addiction, unlike their slimy punk brats.

[orthoclad]

10. The oligarchy speaks

Just about all the news media are owned by the 0.01%. Not even alt-weeklies anymore. And NPR is lame, afraid of offending funders. Never a word against the wealthy.

And now the largest global communication platform has been bought by a stoned oligarch. Compares to Murdoch buying Fox.

[FSogol]

11. LOL, this is where Repubs learn what "chain of custody" means. Whether is is his

laptop or not*, it will be inadmissible in court.

* Narrator: "It is not."

[TheRealNorth]

13. The point was never to take the case to a criminal court.

Just to light the media's hair on fire and get Mrs Greenspan screeching "lap top". It will be the, "but her emails" of 2024.

[FSogol]

15. True. n/t

[kwijybo]

97. oh, come one man!

What's wrong with the laptop chain of custody? It was given to blind guy (who can't identify the owner) by a guy saying he was Hunter Biden. The blind guy didn't get or make sure he left any contact information regarding the laptop. The drive on the laptop was then copied, file by file (ruining any forensic data, instead of cloning it which is easier and more accurate), where the kinda blind repair guy saw hinky files during the copy process. After the laptop was repaired, the 'owner' never returned for it, so the blind guy legally owned it, made a copy of it, and because of the hinky files he saw, called the .... Rudy Guilliani (yes, the FBI, as I understand it, was not his first call). The FBI ended up with the laptop, Guilliani with the copy. Who made copies for whoever. JFC, it's as strong as tissue paper at best.

I work with computers for fun, and even I laugh at his process. The guy is a joke, and deserved to go out of business (i expect if someone checked, he wasn't in business long before this happened. Anyone want odds he was really there to give fake authenticity?). Using a broken computer to copy a disk file by file? Really? "Needing" to open the files as he copies? The second he touched it, he wrecked any forensic data for the copy, and the originals are toast, too.

[lapfog_1]

14. I'm an expert... there is NO WAY to prove the data originated before the repair shop got the laptop

and if anyone claims otherwise... give me 10 min with their laptop and it will have the location of Jimmy Hoffa's corpse and proof of aliens on it with all the signs that it was on this laptop for at least 5 years... even before the laptop or storage device was manufactured.

[FSogol]

16. "even before the laptop or storage device was manufactured" Ooooh, time-traveling Hunter Biden!

[kwijybo]

113. it's not the first time for time traveling

Or, perhaps, being psychic. After all, have you ever paid attention to the Obama Birth Certificate crap? The birth certificate was added in order so he could be President. The birth announcement was put in the paper falsely so he could be President. Requires time travel or a psychic, and they can't see the problem....

[FSogol]

115. Ssssh, don't give away our leftist secrets.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

30. The "news", like Hollyweird, thinks computers run on magic.

Anything digital must be awash in that magic. This is why there are patents on numbers.

[markodochartaigh]

59. That is the problem though

half of the people who bother to vote don't care about facts, they have drunk the authoritarian koolaid. If you showed them Hillary supervising the aliens as they buried Jimmy Hoffa in George Soros' garden, they would believe it, or at least use it as an excuse to vote for Republicans. Their motto is "Facts? We don't need no stinkin' facts! We know what we believe!"

[0rganism]

18. the chain-of-custody for this device will be a fascinating read

I wonder what kind of electronics Hunter's been using since he took this benighted laptop in for "repair". The subpoenas are going to fly fast and thick come February. I think we'll see House committees push the legal boundaries for what can be demanded of a private citizen in 21st century America. Will we have more than a token 4th amendment by 2025? do we still have one even now?

[BlueIdaho]

50. Since everybody but my aunt Sally

Has apparently had personal possession of Hunter Biden’s Laptop by now - I’m pretty sure it is useless as evidence in a criminal trial. Not the the GQP cares about due process or the rule of law.

[former9thward]

65. He is being investigated for tax and gun violations.

I really doubt whatever is or was on that laptop has much to do with either. The IRS knows what he filed and they would have evidence of what he should have filed without a laptop being necessary to prove it.

[BlueIdaho]

68. Then why does CBS care about Hunter's laptop? nt.

[former9thward]

70. It may have other things of interest on it.

I have no idea.

[BlueIdaho]

116. Well, that is after all

The whole point of this entire thread. Right?

[Botany]

20. Every time "they" talk about Hunter Biden's laptop "they" are giving out Russian talking points.

So the republicans in the House now want to run a Benghazi/HRC's emails operation about Hunter's
laptop and just now a story that was no doubt planted by the GOP and or Russia and or rich mother
fuckers who want to keep power just pops up on CBS*. BTW the laptop in question was found in a
computer repair place in N.J. that Hunter had never been to and I think he lives in California.

*******

A New Report Adds Evidence That Trump Was a Russian Asset
He helped Putin manipulate the U.S. election in 2020, as he did in 2016.
(this report was from the senate intelligence committee which at that time was run by republicans)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/03/trump-russian-asset-election-intelligence-community-report.html

As to Russia, the report leaves no doubt: In 2020, as in 2016, “President Putin authorized, and a range of Russian government organizations conducted, influence operations” to help Trump and hurt his Democratic opponent. For example, “Shortly after the 2018 midterm elections, Russian intelligence cyber actors attempted to hack organizations primarily affiliated with the Democratic Party.” Then, in late 2019, Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, “conducted a phishing campaign against subsidiaries of Burisma holdings, likely in an attempt to gather information related to President Biden’s family.” Throughout the 2020 election, agents “connected to the Russian Federal Security Service,” FSB, planted negative stories about Biden. Internet operatives working for the Kremlin, including the troll farm that had boosted Trump in 2016, continued to promote “Trump and his commentary, including repeating his political messaging.”

Attacks on Biden and his son, Hunter, were part of this operation. Through “US officials and prominent US individuals, some of whom were close to former President Trump and his administration,” the report says Russia’s intelligence services “repeatedly spread unsubstantiated or misleading claims about President Biden and his family’s alleged wrongdoing related to Ukraine.” In this way, Trump’s circle “laundered” the Russian-planted stories, which were then recirculated—and promoted by Russia’s online proxies—as American news.

*

[dalton99a]

28. +1

[crickets]

21. What utter BS.

The laughable chain of custody issues alone make forensic review a nightmare.

https://www.emptywheel.net/2022/11/18/what-that-report-purportedly-authenticating-the-hunter-biden-laptop-really-said/

I’ve reported on the WaPo story on the security review of the disk drive commonly referred to as the “Hunter Biden” “laptop” a bunch of times.

But in advance of ripping apart this James Comer fan-fiction about Hunter Biden and before the Twitter thread I did disappears into the Elmo dumpster fire, I wanted to repeat it here. The WaPo asked security experts Matt Green (who worked with his Johns Hopkins students) and Jake Williams to review the drive to see what they could authenticate.

They discovered that people had kept adding content to the “laptop,” making it impossible to say what was on the “laptop” when it was provided to the blind computer repairman. [snip]

Still more important: some of the forensic data that would be necessary to authenticate the drive itself had been deleted.

WaPo no paywall: https://archive.ph/b1Ser
Twitter thread: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1593288154236260358.html

eta
Rawstory no paywall: https://archive.ph/wip/QZceE

[Wounded Bear]

22. I'm sure that laptop has a really secure chain of custody by now...

It's only been passed around like a hooker at a repub convention.

[Emrys]

23. WTF!?

Correct me if I've missed some grand revelation, but whatever that laptop is, there's no evidence it ever belonged to Hunter Biden, and certainly no guarantee that whatever is on its hard disk came from his use use of it.

[MichMan]

27. President Biden has emphatically stated that he never discussed any of Hunter's business with him

Period. End of story.

[Takket]

29. How did CBS gain access to evidence in a criminal investigation?

While Judge loose cannon is telling the FBI they can’t even have access to the government’s own classified files without a special master to review them all, you are telling me CBS was just given a laptop involved in a criminal investigation????

[unblock]

32. It's not evidence. At least, not admissible evidence.

CBS apparently got a "copy" of the data from Republican operatives like ghouliani.

That's right, people highly motivated to tamper and fabricate has it in their possession for quite a long time prior to this "independent" review.

The question is how did ghouliani come to possess Hunter biden's laptop and then, why isn't the media highly suspicious of this?

[Ford_Prefect]

72. ..."Why isn't the media highly suspicious of this?" You must learn to use the Sarcasm emoji.

[unblock]

88. I know I know. This is the same media that insisted that

her emails" was the crime of the century despite her clearing it with previous secretaries of state and it not being against any law or policy at the time, and despite zero evidence of any leak of classified information or damage to national security ...

AND

the fact that she was running against the biggest collection of national security red flags since Benedict Arnold.


So of course they think what Hunter did is equally monumental and of course ivanka and Jared and Donnie leveraging the presidency for personal profit just good business.

[Ford_Prefect]

109. Money doesn't talk, it swears. Just how many secrets and open doors did MBS get for $3 billion?

[spanone]

31. BULLSHIT.

[Bayard]

34. Huge waste of time and money

To prove nothing. This is your real, "witch hunt!"

[harumph]

35. Data is "real" - doesn't mean a fucking thing.

There is no valid chain of custody of this is the laptop that Rudy had.
Fuck you CBS. An independent forensic review outside of the FBI? What utter horseshit.

[Hortensis]

39. The controversy can be a Russian plant (or augmentation)

without having anything to do with the "data" on the laptop.

Also, the controvery can be promoted by "Russian disinformation" without having anything to do with "date" on the laptop.

Remember, for those open to being suckered, THE ALLEGATION IS THE CRIME. Nothing else is needed.

[yaesu]

43. Is that the same CBS that said tRump is bad for the US but great for our profits? nt

[markodochartaigh]

64. That was Les Moonves

while he was CEO it seems that he would have put in place people who think like him. From Wikipedia:


"Leslie Roy Moonves is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and abuse."

[Cha]

100. Good ol Les Moonves? I believe it is! nt

[Lonestarblue]

46. One would hope the DOJ has custody of that laptop. Any purported copies of its data may or

may not be real and may or may not have been fabricated before the laptop was “found” by Giuliani. Anyone who trusts Giuliani to tell the truth is completely gullible. If Hunter Biden committed any crimes, the DOJ will prosecute. Until then, anything Republicans do is a witch hunt.

[Pepsidog]

47. Such a waste of time. Hunter Biden is an addict and as such does things addicts do. The minute the

House establishes a formal investigation then the Senate should do the same for Jared and every other Trump kid.

[Demsrule86]

91. Hunter was an addict and beat it so far. This is BS...a gun charge and taxes? Biden should pardon

Hunter and tell the GOP to pound sand.

[Pepsidog]

104. I wasn't aware of that. Let them have all the Hunter hearings they want because they will

pay for it in 2024.

[Raven123]

51. Some chain of custody

[jmowreader]

53. There is one thing that suggests to me it's been altered

It reportedly contains a folder labeled “salacious pics.”

Three issues:
One, who uses the word “salacious” in normal conversation?
Two, wouldn’t you be more likely to name your porn folder “porn”?
Three, wouldn’t you be even more likely than that to name it “annual reports” or something equally innocuous to disguise the fact you keep a folder full of porn on your laptop?

[Buns_of_Fire]

54. And after all is said and done, the data on the drive is found

to be valid, the data was planted, the chain of custody is solid, the chain is missing a few links, and on and on and on... Whatever.

...I'm still trying to figure out what the hell this information is supposed to prove. Is it the secrets of the Rosicrucians? Nekkid pictures? Stolen borscht recipes? What?

[GoCubsGo]

58. That the Bidens allegedly used Joe's position to help Hunter's business dealings.

You know. Like Trump did when he put his spawn and son-in-law in charge of everything. Never mind that this all took place in 2017 WHEN JOE WAS A PRIVATE CITIZEN.

[Buns_of_Fire]

66. That's it? So even if they've got something, they've got *nothing*.

I can't help but think, if this were playing out in a courtroom, the judge would instruct the bailiff to kick these nuts in the butt.

[GoCubsGo]

73. Yeah, pretty much.

Oh, and Hunter's a drug addict how patronized sex workers. You know, like Trump. It's all projection.

(Yes, I know Hunter is an addict, and probably cavorted with sex workers. But, that's irrelevant.)

[GoCubsGo]

56. They can't even keep straight whether it was a laptop or a hard drive.

Let alone keep the rest of their story and "evidence" straight. These so-called investigators don't even have the original data, so how the hell do they know it is "real," other than that it's data and it exists? Such bullshit.

That spinning sound is coming from the graves of Murrow, Wallace and Cronkite. Give me a fucking break, CBS. And, y'all wonder why you have the worst ratings among all the networks...

[Diraven]

84. I've seen a few of these investigations

Since they don't have access to the original hardware, just a purported "copy" that's been floating around for awhile, all these investigators basically base their conclusions on that the "copy" looks like the type of data that could have been on a laptop.

[kwijybo]

114. It's both

The RWNJ's have a "copy" of the hard drive. The FBI has the laptop with, I believe, the original drive. (both have chain of custody issues out the wazoo)

[Midnight Writer]

69. But...DOJ doesn't leak.

Saw the guy on FOX this AM who "turned in" the laptop to the FBI.

He's creepier than Steve Bannon. Came off as very kookie.

[videohead5]

71. I know I read that

Two folders that were found on the laptop were added after the repair shop had the laptop. I believe I read it on the Washington Post's website?

[WarGamer]

76. WaPo verified the emails of the laptop back in March.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/

They verified 22k emails as "real" over a 10 year period from 2009-2019 including business dealings with foreign State actors.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

78. Shhhh....n/t

[WarGamer]

82. And the NYT verified laptop content in March 2022

[W_HAMILTON]

98. "Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia"

The same New York Times that ran that headline and article less than a week before Election Day 2016?

EDIT: It should also be noted that The New York Times went on to win a Pulitzer a couple of years after that for its SUBSEQUENT reporting that "furthered the nation’s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect’s transition team and his eventual administration."

[Demsrule86]

93. Again how the fuck would they know? If there was a there there, it would have been used.

[bucolic_frolic]

80. AND CBS bumped up its own Twitter bona fides by withdrawing from Twitter for 2 days!!!

There are more alleged Hunter laptops than sightings of Elvis these days. So there is that.

Shall we all clone a few drives in famous peoples' names? They might be worth something.

Sorry, this story doesn't ring, I agree with the OP.

[Kingofalldems]

86. Another one of 'those' threads.

And the same crew jumped in.

Looks like some have already convicted Hunter Biden of something, they just don't know what.

[Demsrule86]

95. They should stop...ah well there are no fake polls to praise now that the election is

over...probably bored.

[Genki Hikari]

101. If Warnock wins

Then the Senate needs to play hardball.

The r thugs in the House go after Hunter Biden? Then the Senate goes after the Incest Tart and her Damien snap-on tool.

One of those investigations will have actual evidence of wrongdoing. It won't be the r side.

[Demsrule86]

89. Like I trust CBS and I have news for these losers...you can get data and put it on any computer...

also, since it has been all over the place, there is no chain of custody so good luck assholes.

[pnwmom]

103. Listen to the actual CBS report though. It doesn't say what Raw Story says it says.

Near the end, the computer tech guy said he thinks he saw a pristine copy -- in other words, a copy BEFORE later copies like the one Giuliani had. And that pristine copy the computer guy saw didn't contain evidence against Joe Biden.

[erpowers]

117. The David Corn Story

If you read the David Corn article, in Mother Jones, none of the copies actually have any evidence against Joe Biden. According to Corn, the only evidence on any of the copies actually proves Joe Biden and Hunter Biden's innocence. According to Corn, the worst thing on the hard drive/computer is a message from a Burisma board member thanking Hunter Biden for inviting him to meet his dad. There is no evidence presented to prove Joe Biden actually met with the Burisma board member. Finally, Corn points out that there is an email in which Hunter Biden pretty much so tells his associates that his dad will not break the law and that they should temper their expectation. So, it appears this story is and has always been a nothing burger. I wish more people would interview David Corn.

[pnwmom]

118. Thanks. Do you have a link for that?

[David__77]

110. Does it matter in the least?

What’s it got to do with executive branch or government at all.

[Kingofalldems]

111. Ahhh--Right wing red meat.......

Followed by a renunciation of the whole thing.

[mcar]

112. Hunter's laptop is important because

Jared and Ivanka made billions from their "service" in TFG's administration and have gotten away scot free.