“All we were doing was raising a yellow flag that this could be Russian disinformation.”
Hunter Biden’s laptop is so mainstream now that even the 50 former intel officials who falsely suggested that it was Russian disinformation are now backing away from that claim and blaming the media.
The Washington Post fact check by Glenn Kessler seems belated, but I suppose better late than never, and the fact check grudgingly exonerates the ex-intel officials, while laying the blame on Biden, as if the latter wasn’t just taking the bait that had been laid out by the “experts”.
And it features our old pal Jimmy Clapper trying to disavow the infamous letter.
“There was message distortion,” former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. told The Fact Checker in a telephone interview. “All we were doing was raising a yellow flag that this could be Russian disinformation. Politico deliberately distorted what we said. It was clear in paragraph five.”
Paragraph 5 does state, “We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails, provided to the New York Post by President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement — just that our experience makes us deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case.”
That paragraph is undermined by virtually every other which leads the reader by the nose to the idea that it’s Russian disinformation and other paragraphs that outright assert it.
Like this one.
“Our view that the Russians are involved in the Hunter Biden email issue is consistent with two other significant data points as well.”
The letter claimed that the Hunter Biden laptop not only “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation” and, in italics, emphasizes that, “If we are right, this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this election, and we believe strongly that Americans need to be aware of this.”
This is well beyond raising a yellow flag. And Politico wasn’t distorting anything. Furthermore, if Clapper thought so, he had ample time to correct the record when the story first came out.
But Clapper disagreed. “To me, it’s a difference without a distinction. It could have been bad information, false information,” he said. “But we had no evidence, no inside baseball that it was. The intent of the letter was that this could be Russian disinformation — emphasis on could. It’s a very important nuance … a distinction that people are always ignoring.”
Clapper could be a pedophile. It’s a very important nuance. Could! Wasn’t this the routine that lefties used to run with Glenn Beck? And now they’re betting a lot on it.
Don McKellar says
I believe it was Robert who named him Clueless Clapper. He remains a top contender for the title of most useless government beaurocrat of all time.
John says
The infamous letter from the 50 “intelligence experts” had a paragraph to offer plausible deniability.
Clapper should have been asked what “all the earmarks” of Russian disinformation attempt were.
Rob (Robin) Blair Harris says
Unbelievable. Wait until he gets in front of Congress.
Brian Ozzy says
I would rather see the treasonous scum in front of a firing squad.
Rob (Robin) Blair Harris says
Wait until he gets in front of Congress!
David M says
Ha ha, that’s a joke, you think he is worried about that? He has already lied to Congress on multiple occasions, in particular when he said your citizens are not being monitored by the government. And what did Congress do about that? A big fat nothing!
When I saw Clapper blatantly lying to Congress with no repercussions, I realised how far your country has fallen, integrity wise.
somehistory says
He’s the idiot who put his fingers to his forehead and uttered, “Not wittingly.” (lying about bo collecting info on American citizens)
wittingly; done in full awareness or consciousness; deliberate:
Wit: “mental sharpness and inventiveness; keen intelligence:” a.k.a intelligence
“a natural aptitude for using words and ideas in a quick and inventive way to create humor:” No one is laughing
He was the ugly head “director” of national intelligence. Like the raggedly ann wannabe speaking many word whiskers at press briefings, he was not qualified for the job.
https://thefederalist.com/2019/03/06/four-different-lies-james-clapper-told-about-lying-to-congress/
Wellington says
Message distortion(MD)? OMG, the idiots like Clapper, presently ruining America, have compounded their many sins by now resorting to bogus terms and acronyms like “message distortion.”
It’s come to this? Yes it has. In America, as in so many other Western nations, jokers, clowns, the depraved, the mendacious, the disordered, et al. are now mostly in charge of the fate of what’s left of Western Civilization.
Must change soon. Or else.
gravenimage says
James Clapper Claims He Didn’t Really Mean Hunter Biden’s Laptop was a Russian Plot
…………………………………………………
Yeah–let’s walk that one back…
E T says
Oh my, I don’t know why, i get him and Thomas Crapper mixed up.