McCarthy Vows to Axe Adam Schiff From House Intel Panel Over 'Lies' About Hunter Biden's Laptop
07:44 GMT 19.03.2022 (Updated: 21:05 GMT 19.10.2022)
© AFP 2023 / ASTRID STAWIARZ
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Joe Biden's younger son has been in the media spotlight since the 2020 presidential campaign when a New York Post exposé revealed that he reportedly benefitted from his father's position while conducting business deals in China and Ukraine. Both Bidens have dismissed the accusations.
US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has blasted Chair of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff for "lying" about and "politicising" the Hunter Biden laptop story.
His statement comes as The New York Times confirmed the existence of the computer, citing people familiar with an ongoing investigation into Hunter. The individuals also authenticated emails and documents on the laptop.
Following the NYT report, McCarthy accused his colleague of failing to fulfill his work responsibilities and threatened to remove Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee if the GOP takes back the majority from the Democrats in this year's midterm elections.
Following the NYT report, McCarthy accused his colleague of failing to fulfill his work responsibilities and threatened to remove Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee if the GOP takes back the majority from the Democrats in this year's midterm elections.
"You cannot make this committee political. You cannot use it as a position of a chairman to lie, and you should be focused on what the American people want you to be focused on around the world. The Democrats have politicised our intelligence committee. You've watched it year after year since Adam Schiff has become chair. No, he doesn't warn us about Ukraine or Afghanistan or what's happening around the world. He tells you about politics", McCarthy said.
The House minority leader then went on to criticise the statements Adam Schiff made regarding the Hunter Biden story. On 14 October 2020, less than a month before the 2020 presidential election, the New York Post published an exposé on the second son of Joe Biden. The story was based on a trove of emails and documents it obtained from a laptop purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden.
It said Hunter took his computer to an IT store in Delaware, but never returned to collect it. The owner of the store first alerted the FBI about the contents of the laptop.
Several emails showed that Joe Biden was seemingly involved in the business dealings of his son in Ukraine during his tenure as vice president of the United States, something the New York Post maintained potentially constituted a conflict of interest. The documents also showed that the younger Biden reportedly used his family's name to benefit himself – he allegedly asked for money from Beijing, promising that his father would improve US policy on China.
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook prevented users from sharing the New York Post's exposé amid its release. The story was branded fake news that could potentially influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential race. Both Bidens declined to comment on the issue.
Adam Schiff and other prominent Democrats have called the article a Russian "smear". A group of 51 former senior intelligence officials wrote a public letter, saying that the laptop story has "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation" without providing any proof for their hypothesis.
Several emails showed that Joe Biden was seemingly involved in the business dealings of his son in Ukraine during his tenure as vice president of the United States, something the New York Post maintained potentially constituted a conflict of interest. The documents also showed that the younger Biden reportedly used his family's name to benefit himself – he allegedly asked for money from Beijing, promising that his father would improve US policy on China.
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook prevented users from sharing the New York Post's exposé amid its release. The story was branded fake news that could potentially influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential race. Both Bidens declined to comment on the issue.
Adam Schiff and other prominent Democrats have called the article a Russian "smear". A group of 51 former senior intelligence officials wrote a public letter, saying that the laptop story has "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation" without providing any proof for their hypothesis.
"If we are right, this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this election. We want to emphasise 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", the letter read.
After the election, Hunter Biden said that the laptop could have "absolutely" belonged to him, but said he never took it to an IT store and suggested the device was perhaps stolen or hacked by Russian intelligence.
The president's younger son has since become a subject of investigation into his tax affairs. He is also being probed by the Justice Department about whether he potentially violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act while working with foreign companies.
On Friday, the New York Post contacted the 51 former intelligence officials and asked them whether their stance on the Hunter Biden remains the same following the publication of The New York Times' story. Forty-four people declined to comment or didn't respond, two individuals couldn't be reached, and five people said their views on the issue have not changed.
The president's younger son has since become a subject of investigation into his tax affairs. He is also being probed by the Justice Department about whether he potentially violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act while working with foreign companies.
On Friday, the New York Post contacted the 51 former intelligence officials and asked them whether their stance on the Hunter Biden remains the same following the publication of The New York Times' story. Forty-four people declined to comment or didn't respond, two individuals couldn't be reached, and five people said their views on the issue have not changed.
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