Two influential Republican figures have escalated their demands for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide an explanation regarding his potential involvement in a controversial letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials. The letter had raised doubts about the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the lead-up to the 2020 election. In a letter authored by Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mike Turner (R-OH), who hold key positions in the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, they expressed their willingness to issue a subpoena if Blinken fails to comply with their information requests made since April.
The initial response from Blinken, according to Jordan and Turner, was deemed unsatisfactory as it did not address their concerns. They referred to a letter from Blinken’s attorney received on May 4, 2023, which they characterized as unresponsive to their request for cooperation. Consequently, they warned that if Blinken continued to withhold the requested information, they would be compelled to pursue a subpoena through “compulsory process.”
The primary objective of the committee chairs is to gain access to all communication and documentation held by Blinken that pertains to the discredited allegations made by the aforementioned former officials. Notably, the letter’s co-author, former CIA Acting Director Mike Morell, testified during a congressional hearing that he received a phone call from Blinken. At the time, Blinken served as a paid senior adviser to the Biden campaign in 2020, prompting Morell to draft the controversial statement.
Published by Politico a mere two weeks before the 2020 presidential election, the statement sought to undermine the credibility of the New York Post’s explosive exposé linking Joe Biden to his son Hunter’s financial activities. The basis of the statement was emails retrieved from Hunter’s abandoned laptop, which had come under FBI scrutiny in 2019 following the disclosure of its existence by the owner of the repair shop where it was left. Numerous other reputable media outlets have subsequently corroborated the authenticity of these emails.
The article penned by the 51 former officials, albeit lacking evidence, claimed that the allegations bore the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Based on testimony and emails obtained by Jordan’s and Turner’s committees, it was revealed that Morell drafted the statement to express his concerns about Russian interference and to aid Biden’s campaign. Their May report detailed the coordination between Morell, the Biden campaign, and the CIA in expediting the statement’s approval, ensuring it could be used as a “talking point” by Biden during the final presidential debate.
During that debate, when questioned about the laptop issue, Biden utilized the exact wording from the statement to refute the New York Post’s claims.
Jordan and Turner reiterated Morell’s testimony, affirming that Blinken did not instruct him to draft the statement. Rather, Morell’s actions were allegedly prompted by a phone call from Blinken.
In an unprecedented disclosure, Jordan and Turner revealed that former FBI Director James Clapper testified that former CIA Director John Brennan informed him of Blinken’s outreach to Morell regarding the preparation of a public statement. This revelation contradicted Morell’s earlier testimony.
Clapper and Brennan, both signatories of the statement, recently participated in private interviews with members of Congress.
Blinken, in a May 2 interview with Fox News, denied any involvement with the statement, categorically stating, “It wasn’t my idea; I didn’t ask for it; I didn’t solicit it.” Morell’s testimony aligns with Blinken’s assertion.
However, given the conflicting testimonies from Clapper, Jordan and Turner are determined to ascertain why Morell attributed the statement’s origins to Blinken.
One of the letters issued by the committee chairs asserted, “It is evident that your communication with Mr. Morell led to the drafting and release of the public statement, which was intended to provide the Biden campaign with a ‘talking point to push back on [President] Trump’ during the final stage of the presidential campaign.”
The letter further emphasized, “These actions deprived the American people of the opportunity to make a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election.”
Blinken has until June 26 to comply with the committee’s demands.