Hunter Biden’s laptop and NPR. I understand Uri Berliner’s story has hit TV Land, but my Samsung is misbehaving, so I haven’t seen any of that. I have, however, been looking back and trying to put the Berliner story in context with other past events. One part of Berliner’s article I didn’t mention yesterday was his take on NPR’s response to the Hunter Biden laptop story. Here’s what Mr. Berliner wrote:

In October 2020, the New York Post published the explosive report about the laptop Hunter Biden abandoned at a Delaware computer shop containing emails about his sordid business dealings. With the election only weeks away, NPR turned a blind eye. Here’s how NPR’s managing editor for news at the time explained the thinking: “We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.” 

Hunter owned it

But it wasn’t a pure distraction, or a product of Russian disinformation, as dozens of former and current intelligence officials suggested. The laptop did belong to Hunter Biden. Its contents revealed his connection to the corrupt world of multimillion-dollar influence peddling and its possible implications for his father.

The laptop was newsworthy. But the timeless journalistic instinct of following a hot story lead was being squelched. During a meeting with colleagues, I listened as one of NPR’s best and most fair-minded journalists said it was good we weren’t following the laptop story because it could help Trump. 

Letter to the rescue

Clearly, the laptop news could have derailed Biden’s election, but the letter mentioned above proved to be powerful. Here are intriguing details I’ve discovered about that letter from “dozens of former and current intelligence officials.” The letter was signed in October 2020, by 51 ex-national security officials, who wrote that Hunter’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” Among the signers were former Obama CIA Director John Brennan, and former Obama DNI James Clapper.

What happened next?

“Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say,” screamed a Politico headline on Oct. 19, 2020.

More tidbits

I’ve also learned what prompted that deceptive, but pivotal, letter. Here’s the story. About one year ago (April, 2023), Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, that Anthony Blinken (then-Biden campaign senior adviser, now-Secretary of State) was “the impetus” for the above letter implying that Hunter Biden’s laptop story was disinformation. (See original document here.)

In his testimony, Mr. Morell said, “There were two intents. One intent was to share our concern with the American people that the Russians were playing on this issue (which, of course, they had not a shred of evidence for); and, two, it was to help Vice President Biden.” 

Key question

And why did he want to help Biden? “Because I wanted him to win the election.”

And it worked. Joe Biden, in a presidential debate and an interview, used the letter to declare definitively that the laptop story was “disinformation from the Russians,” “a bunch of garbage,” a “Russian plan” and a “smear campaign.” Clearly, he knew better.

I am not a Trump backer in any way, but honestly I find him to be no worse than Biden. I have lamented our horrible choices in earlier posts, see here, and here, giving Trump a D- (see here) and Biden a preliminary F (see here).

Basically, this election pits one champion prevaricator against another equally talented liar. The obvious question is whom to vote against. Both of them?  Somehow all of this leads me to a depressing conclusion. If Biden wins in November, the mass media, including NPR, will sigh with relief and champion whatever Biden does, be it continuing to mess up our Southern border, blunder in the Middle East, stoke inflation, or whatever. If Trump wins, he undoubtedly will face an onslaught of attacks from Capitol insiders, federal bureaucrats, and the mainstream press. Any suggestions?

Stay tuned. Next, I will look at NPR’s coverage of Covid-19, and after that on its take on DEI.