Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Antony Blinken has been linked to the story about the 51 former CIA officials who signed a letter in October 2020 declaring that the Hunter Biden laptop showed all the signs of a Russian disinformation op.
All 51 of these individuals could now face legal liabilities for aiding in a Biden campaign ploy that raised doubts about the validity of Hunter Biden’s laptop.
What follows is taken (in part) from a letter sent by Rep. Jim Jordan to Secretary of State Blinken:
In a transcribed interview with the Committee on the Judiciary and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Michael Morell, a former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency and one of the 51 signatories of the public statement, testified that on or around Oct. 17, 2020, Blinken reached out to him to discuss the laptop story.
At the time Blinken served as a senior advisor to the Biden campaign.
According to Morell, Blinken’s outreach was couched as simply gathering Morell’s reaction to the New York Post story. However, it set in motion the events that led to the issuance of the public statement. Morell testified:
“Q: But, prior to Blinken’s call, you – you did not have any intent to write this statement?
A: I did not.
Q: Okay. So his call triggered –
A: It did, yes.
Q: – that intent in you?”
“President Biden cited the public statement to rebut President Trump’s criticism of the Biden family business dealings, saying:
‘Look, there are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what this, [President Trump’s] accusing me of is a Russian plan. They have said this this has all the characteristics — four — five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he’s saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except him and his good friend Rudy Giuliani.’
“Based on Morell’s testimony, it is apparent that the Biden campaign played an active role in the origins of the public statement, which had the effect of helping to suppress the Hunter Biden story and preventing American citizens from making a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election.
“Although the statement’s signatories have an unquestioned right to free speech and free association — which we do not dispute — their reference to their national security credentials lent weight to the story and suggested access to specialized information unavailable to other Americans.”
Blinken carried out these acts before he became secretary of state and therefore does not have legal grounds to argue that these communications are covered by executive privilege.
Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:
