Below is my column on Fox.com on the recent filing of the Justice Department confirming the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop. The filing comes at a time when the media seems to be resuming practices from 2020 in censoring news and characterizing opposing views as disinformation.
Here is the column:
After years of suppressing the story and casting doubts over its authenticity, many in the media in the last year have belatedly and reluctantly acknowledged that the Hunter Biden laptop is real. Some of us reached that conclusion years ago due to the self-authenticating emails confirmed by third parties. However, the denials and doubts have continued, including most recently by Rep. Dan Goldman (D., N.Y.) in hearings. The Justice Department has now again confirmed the authenticity and added details on why these denials are unsupported.
This week, the Justice Department confirmed that the laptop was authenticated through forensic examination and a search warrant on Hunter’s Apple iCloud. Hunter’s electronic devices were backed up on the Cloud and “the results of the search were largely duplicative of information investigators had already obtained from Apple.”
That is only the latest such confirmation, but some have continued to desperately cast doubts the laptop, which Hunter himself said might be the product of Russian intelligence. Once again, the last dogs in this fruitless fight are the most partisan among us. Rep. Goldman, for example, recently lambasted witnesses who referenced the laptop and challenged the credibility of a journalist who cited the laptop.
Goldman attacked Journalist Michael Shellenberger and declared “You have no idea, you know hard drives can be manipulated. Hard drives can be manipulated by Rudy Giuliani or Russia. There is actual evidence of it, but the point is it’s not the same thing.”
Goldman has never revealed the “actual evidence” showing that the laptop is fake or why the Justice Department and FBI are making the same false claim in court if such evidence exists.
The same week that the Biden Administration again confirmed the authenticity of the laptop, one of the loudest laptop deniers wrote a telling column on why the public should avoid researching such questions on their own.
The Washington Post’s Philip Bump has repeatedly pushed false stories from Lafayette Park to Russian collusion to the laptop. Even after many in the media admitted that the laptop was authentic, Bump was still declaring that it was a “conspiracy theory.” Recently, in response to a column on these false claims, the Post remarkably declared that Bump’s original claims on Lafayette Park, the Hunter Biden laptop, and Russian collusion were true and they stand by them.
This week, Bump warned citizens that they needed to continue to get their news from the media and not try to learn the truth on their own. In a column titled “Doing your own research is a good way to end up being wrong,” Bump states without an sense of self-awareness that citizens will often “embrace dubious information supporting their belief than information that corroborates the allegations” — precisely what critics have accused Bump of doing for years on the laptop and other false stories.
Bump’s column is a must read for understanding the sense of entitlement of columnists in today’s age of “advocacy journalism.” It is consistent with what Bump said in an interview last year before he walked out after being confronted about false stories.
In a podcast interview with Noam Dworman, Bump became exasperated and said “I’m gonna lose my mind” when Dworman offered facts contradicting his view. Ironically, when Dworman noted that half of the country does not believe his positions, Bump shot back “I know, because half the country doesn’t actually dig into the issues.”
However, Bump does not believe that they should actually dig into the issues but accept his view.
He chastised Dworman and the public “because you don’t listen to the press. I’m sitting here and I’m telling you, you’re wrong about these things, and you don’t listen … you refuse to listen to what I’m saying to you. You asked me on to present evidence. I keep telling you.”
Indeed, Bump and others kept telling people that the laptop was a “conspiracy theory” and possible Russian disinformation. Now, he is reminding people not to do their own research as the Post expressly declared that the prior false claims in his columns were actually true.
This is why, at the start of our Republic, alternative media sprang up with pamphleteers like Thomas Paine. Citizens rejected the state-supporting media and searched for their own sources. Today citizen journalists can be found on the Internet in blogs and other sites that carry opposing views or accounts.
The media is already moving to be sure that the public is limited in what they are allowed to see or hear. After Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow explained to viewers that the network had decided that they should not hear Trump’s victory speech because he would only tell them “untrue things.”
As noted by Bump, citizens are much safer to just accept what they are given and avoid the temptation to do their own research. Censorship is now actually proclaimed as a form of virtue signaling, assuring viewers that they will not have to hear certain opposing views or figures.
There is little tolerance for those who insist on seeking out such news. After all, as the Post’s Bump explained, “I’m telling you, you’re wrong about these things, and you don’t listen.”
9:18 & 9:25
These are perfect examples of what the trolls here, do.
Smear our gracious host. Refuse to comment on the subject, cast aspersions. conflate disparate topics. If on Topic, they ape their Gods in the and just lie.
The Trolls care about this disinformation, because they are the grunts in the gutters charged with dispersing this misinformation.
The media has the technique down cold. The avoid at all costs, reporting facts. Instead they distribute anothers reporting. Thus keeping their escape route open, when the truth gets so clear even a 4th grader can see it. Then they apologize for the other guys reporting.
Covid is such a great example of the lies being told. Covid exposed the administrative state for what it is. A DC fiefdom that concerns itself with coalescing power. The media is worker bee in the fiefdom. There is a symbiotic relationship between the Administrative state and media. They each receive need nourishment from the other to survive.
The fourth estate was supposed to be a check on Government, but today it only questions Republicans in Government, and spend 95% of their time pushing the approve narrative of the the left.
Iowan2,
Well said.
In this case, their desperation is quite obvious.
After all this time of declaring the laptop is fake or Russian disinformation, they still cling to the same lies or use their twisted logic to deny the facts.
The message from the Washington Post and other msm outlets to the citizens of the USA is ‘don’t do your own ‘homework”
Imagine if the Securities & Exchange Commission made a similar statement to the 100 million American investors – ‘don’t do your own homework’
That would turn Wall St. upside down and nullify everything about securities laws & regulations —‘trust us?’ Really?
This week, the Justice Department confirmed that the laptop was authenticated through forensic examination and a search warrant on Hunter’s Apple iCloud. Hunter’s electronic devices were backed up on the Cloud and “the results of the search were largely duplicative of information investigators had already obtained from Apple.”
I knew there was a reason why I never trusted Apple to back things up on the Apple iCloud. I recently bought a new car, and then I found out how much spying on me that Nissan was doing. Why does Nissan do that?
“the Justice Department confirmed that the laptop was authenticated through forensic examination”
It didn’t.
” and a search warrant on Hunter’s Apple iCloud”
All it said about the search warrants were the the results largely overlapped, which is unsurprising, and it said nothing about the rest of the data on the laptop, which in fact would not be legal for them to analyze without a relevant search warrant.
“’Doing your own research is a good way to end up being wrong,’ Bump states . . .”
Again with the Left’s megalomania:
We (the MSM) are “information.” Anything else is “misinformation.”
Americans don’t need a science king (Fauci), a democracy king (Biden), a journalism king (Bump, et al). Kings are for serfs. All we need is objectivity and facts. Then leave us alone to use our own independent judgment.
“[T]he media seems to be resuming practices from 2020 in censoring news and characterizing opposing views as disinformation.” (JT)
Here is your MSM (a NPR “reporter”):
“Elections are a time for Americans to express their values.”
Here is your MSM’s *actions*:
Except for when we don’t like those values. Then we will suppress them. Misrepresent them. Smear you for holding them. Cheer on those (fascists) attempting to deny your right to vote on those values.
The J6 stench is coming to the surface.
Watch this brain game produced by National Geographic to understand the conformity of the crowd behavior on J6.
youtube.com/watch?v=X6kWygqR0L8
Now watch Ray Epps newly released video and tell me he and 200+ fed agents weren’t the bell from brain game.
Short version
https://open.ink/collections/j6-the-ray-epps-files
Hour long version
open.ink/collections/j6
Ask yourself, who was the most corrupt influencer on the J6 crowd starting on 1/5 and continuing on 1/6. Seems to a majority it was Ray Epps, who then perjured himself stating he was in DC to keep an eye on his son. Except for most of the time Ray didn’t even know his son’s location. Hmmm! Plus we can throw in the 200+ federal agents that Clay Higgins exposes as well as others to see how the crowd was manipulated.
Who helps fund National Geographic that made the brain game video. You do through grants of taxpayer money from the feds to them.
https://ask.metafilter.com/36261/Who-funds-the-National-Geographic
Does any body really think the Sox Act is being used correctly against J6’ers just for attending a protest? The instigator gets a slap on the wrist as other got 20 years. Epps and the 200+ agents are the “whoever corruptly”.
Several conservative members of the high court describe themselves as “textualists” who take the words of a law at face value, and to a textualist reader the SOX Act would likely seem straightforward. Consider its language: “Whoever corruptly . . . obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.” The statute’s language does not clearly specify that only certain kinds of obstruction qualify.
politico.com/news/magazine/2024/01/17/supreme-court-case-trump-prosecution-00135852
Still need more stench of the J6 psyop. Watch and read this article by Revolver News.
revolver.news/2024/01/secret-service-foreknowledge-or-criminal-negligence-damning-new-evidence-surfaces-fbi-january-6-pipe-bomb-story/
The Blaze discovered even more corruption. Nothing is more tyrannical than suppression of evidence, Brady Act violations and perjury in order to fullfil an agenda of corruption. Biden and his administration are the nobel prize winners of corruption as law enforcement just lost more ground across the nation.
twitter.com/theblaze/status/1746974003317579834
Just so you all understand why Mike Johnson is now slow walking the rest of the J6 video. The more that comes out, the bigger the stench.
“Trust Us, We’re the Media: The Biden Laptop is Proven Authentic as Past Deniers Double Down on Media Controls”
– Professor Turley
____________________
They are not deniers; don’t dismiss them so lightly.
Their goal is the completion of their unconstitutional acts of “fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”
They are being assisted by the singular American failure, the judicial branch, with emphasis on the Supreme Court.
They are direct and mortal enemies of the American thesis of freedom and self-reliance, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, patriotic Americans, and America.
They are communist propagandists and indoctrinationists endeavoring assiduously to complete and conclude the nullification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and forcibly and irrevocably impose the principles of the Communist Manifesto – those being central planning, control of the means of production (i.e. unconstitutional regulation), redistribution of wealth, and social engineering – under the “dictatorship of the proletariat,” and fulfilling Karl Marx’s motto: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
They are almost there.
Thinking the laptop was fake is, or was, a mental gymnastic feat of such a level as thinking that a virus coming out of a city in China that housed a virology lab actually did not originate in the lab.
-Trump was at war with China, Trump called the virus the China virus and therefore the left/media/intel agencies/tech had to make sure that the virus did not come from a Chinese lab.
-The laptop that had credible evidence of Joe Biden’s corruption was a danger to the democrats and therefore the left/media/intel agencies/tech had to make sure that the masses didn’t think the laptop was real.
-The riots that occurred during 2020 were allowed to fester because it made people think that the country was in chaos and chaos made Trump more vulnerable and therefore the left/media/tech made the riots that killed many and cost BILLIONS were peaceful.
-The riot on J6 was ruinous to Trump and therefore suddenly the left/media/tech thought that a riot was bad.
People like Phil Bump and Matt Viser cover Biden as if he is Churchill with a touch of Mother Teresa thrown in because Biden has them over to the WH, the State Dinners and they get awards from Biden as well. Biden pinned an award on Matt Viser, a “reporter” who is supposed to be covering him honestly. It would be like my mother picking the MVP of my high school hockey team. Although my mother was more likely to say that I didn’t put in the effort.
The good news is that fewer people watch tradition media, nor do they believe them.
Jonathan. Don’t you have anything important to talk about?
Would your lucrative contract with FOX NEWS ever allow you to present an under biased view ?
Just checking
So Turley is not to be trusted because he publicly states the same opinions he expresses elsewhere on Fox, but the Bidens who have receivedc atleast $30M from China and Russia – that your fine with ?
Why does it matter where it shows up? Even adhering to Bump’s monopolistic standards, the media presented the laptop story. The NY Post and Fox are media. The Post broke the story, and had researched it, and simply reported what the FBI already knew – the laptop was real, was (and still is) Hunter’s, not a Russian plant. So in this instance the media (OK some of the media) did their job and did research and reported the story – but incredibly Bump still denies it. So he really is objecting to well-established well-researched content, while having no basis whatsoever for his objection. Bump’s malpractice bothers Mr Turley as a liberal and as a matter of policy, but you like Mr Bump are suggesting it’s all about self-interest sacrificing principles. Odd isn’t it, that you and Bump seem to be practicing exactly what you’re accusing others of doing?
“the laptop was real, was (and still is) Hunter’s, not a Russian plant”
We don’t know that.
We know that a laptop with that serial number once belonged to HB.
We don’t know whether it was one that was stolen from him.
We don’t know whether he’s the one who dropped it off at the repair shop.
We don’t know whether the contents of the laptop were adulterated before or after it was dropped off.
And the FBI didn’t claim that all of the data on the laptop is “authentic.” They only claimed that the results of search warrants for tax violations and illegal gun possession — carried out on HB’s iCloud account and the laptop they recovered form JP Mac Issac — have similar results. They did not attempt to carry out a forensic analysis of the laptop (or if they did, they do not say so in their filing) and did not legally have access to the entire contents of either the iCloud account or the laptop. That’s how search warrants work: they don’t let you search for whatever you want.
What I find amazing is the loss of commonsense in all these “it may not be Hunter’s laptop” or “it may have been tampered with”, comments. It’s almost impossible to fake so many email strings, so many emails and so many compromising pictures. And even then, how do you dismiss other people in the email strings who say the emails are valid? At this point pretty much everyone is convinced it’s Hunter’s laptop, including the DOJ. But some folks will never admit it.
“it may not be Hunter’s laptop”
I didn’t say that. I said “We know that a laptop with that serial number once belonged to HB.” See how there’s no “may not be” or “don’t know” or anything of the like?
“It’s almost impossible to fake so many email strings, so many emails and so many compromising pictures.”
Again: I’m talking about the entirety of the laptop contents, which have not been validated, and where we know that forensics experts have also stated that the contents were manipulated after the date the laptop was dropped off.
“And even then, how do you dismiss other people in the email strings who say the emails are valid?”
I haven’t. My point has been that the laptop contents in its entirety has NOT been validated.
“pretty much everyone is convinced it’s Hunter’s laptop”
There’s no doubt that he once owned a laptop with that serial number, nor have I questioned that. Again: *my* argument is about the CONTENTS, and the fact that Turley is misrepresenting the facts in claiming “the recent filing of the Justice Department confirming the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop,” when the DOJ did NOT do that.
A rando Soviet Democrat Anonymous communist on his way to his Incels Anonymous meeting popped in to post:Jonathan. Don’t you have anything important to talk about?
The ol’ Soviet Democrat line “Nothing to see here about that laptop we said was ‘Russian election disinformation’ folks; move along now”.
Why ISN’T it important that we talk about the fact the FBI, Christopher Wray – and of course Bribery Joe, The Grifter In Chief – knew in 2019, a year before the election, that the laptop and it’s contents they had did indeed belong to The Bagman Formerly Known As The Crackhead Kid?
How much of that Bribery Biden Chinese yen gets passed off to Anonymous to come here and post that it isn’t important to know how blatant the lying of The Big Guy and the Soviet Democrats is?
“The Justice Department has now again confirmed the authenticity and added details on why these denials are unsupported.”
**********************************
In other news releases from the FBI: Al Capone was a gangster, Hitler spoke German, The Empire State Building is in New York and Water is wet. That is all!
The “Left” media are telling us up close and personal that we’re too stupid to make up our own minds about anything political. They’ve been doing this for how long? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Look in the mirror MSM!!! Smell yourself!!!
Adding to the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel and Yemen Pakistan and Iran appear to be teetering on the verge of war.
Just what we need on nuclear power in direct conflict with a near nuclear power.
Thinking about what Maddow did the other night this came to mind. Especially the last sentence.
“Do we fear listening to the other side?
Gina Barreca, Columnist
In our conversations, whether political, public or private, we seem to be increasingly belligerent, uncivil and unrelenting, determined to crush the opposition rather than listen to the other side.
Could it be that what we fear most is that our positions might change?”
We are seeing a slow drip, drip, drip of things damaging to Biden leaking now.
Why ?
These are coming from the “deep state”.
Obviously given a choice between Biden and Trump those leaking damaging information regarding Biden would pick Biden not trump.
My guess is this means these people believe that unless Biden gets out of the race soon – Trump will win and come after them with a scythe.
If you accept that – you can expect the next month or so to be very bad for Biden. If they have decided to drive Biden out – they MUST succeed,
Otherwise they just assure a Trump victory. This also means they believe Biden can be driven out.
@John Say…
Deep State? Maybe.
But then again, maybe not.
Lets set the deep state aside for now.
Consider that Biden, regardless of this noise… is way down in the polls when it comes to how he is doing.
Most consider themselves worse off than before when it comes to the economy.
The Blue States are now crying foul because they can’t afford to put up the swell of illegals that have flooded their cities.
Part of the core Democratic base is shifting away.
So Biden is damaged goods.
You don’t carry water for damaged goods because there’s no payout at the end.
So there are cracks in the damn. As they grow, more cracks appear and grow.
Pretty soon the damn will burst.
And what you’re seeing is an acceleration of the cracks.
There are still a few faithful trying to carry water. Hanging on hoping for a payday because they fear the alternative.
When you consider that… apply Occam’s Razor.
-G
Ian,
You and John are both right.
What you did not mention, is the clock is ticking. If Joe does not step asside, then they have to boot the President off the ticket at the convention. Dems are in a terrible mess, because if not careful, Harris will be the only life raft for the party.
The ticking clock is a problem.
For the last 25 years the MSM has been AWOL. The damage they have done to Democracy is undeniable. They have destroyed the lives of children. They have helped destroy countries like Iraq and Lybia and now Ukraine. You might say how. Not reporting the truth. Who in their right mind wants a fool with dementia starting a war in the country him and his family have shaken down for millions. Who wants the MSM being stenographers for the FBI and Dems. Nobody I know. Millions of folks rolling across the border with children being exploited. Not reporting properly on Epstein. Who has savaged littel girls for years. They were all over stories for a week when pictures of him and Trump came out. Then they found out he kicked him out of Mara L. Then they found out a lawyer for a young lady said the only one who said Epst a perve was trump and willing to talk. Then they found out pictures taken before guilty plea. Then story went dead. Millions of children all over the world being decimated in wars. Now both in Palestine and Isreal. Never talk about Biden filling Iran coffers. All in on the invasion of iraq till folks woke up. If it was Trump that made that huge mess in Afghan it would still be tlked about 2+ years later.
And although this vindicates people like Rudi Giuliani who brought this to the public and is now being sued into bankruptcy. Please explain what will happen to those Intelligence officers WHO KNEW the laptop was real and signed
their names to a letter stating otherwise to influence the outcome of the 2020 election in favor of Biden. Post
election investigation revealed that more then enough voters would not have voted for Biden over this issue to
allow Trump to be elected. Voter, and election fraud work. They will be used even more in 2024. Who are the
actual people who create misinformation? If you pay attention you know the answer.
I think it is a reach to claim these intel officials KNEW the laptop was real.
That said there is absolutely every reason to ask why these 51 people whose judgement was so bad were inteligences leaders int he US.
If you are not able to instinctively know that it is HIGHLY unlikely that Russia faked a laptop that unless 99% of the information was real would with certainty collapse under scrutiny.
I wouldn’t take the risk of standing by Biden in a thunder storm or supporting him in any way, out of fear, respect and reverence for The Almighty God who just might decide to strike Biden dead for his EVILNESS. I’d be afraid of being collateral damage. Just saying!
With all due respect to Maddow I would rather listen to Trump’s speech rather than being told by the media what I should or should not hear. In many ways body language play’s an important role in listening and understanfing someon’s thoughts & intent. I often do not agree with Mr Biden but I want the opportunity to hear with my own ears!
Before the Iowa Caucus, there was a debate between DeSantis, Haley, and Vivek. The same night and time, Trump did a Town Hall with Hannity in Des Moines. Trump did an excellent Town Hall. He was focused, calm, articulate knowledgeable. The Media watched ALL of that Town Hall and could not find a single sound bite to smear Trump. If they did try, it would of only motivated voters to go find the Town Hall, and see for themselves, and watching Trump out perform Obama in that setting had to be minimized.
But the Media got a hint that Trump was shifting his presentation style. They refused to air his acceptance speech because they feared he would carry through his Presidential persona from the Town Hall. Removing a major objection voiced by Independents.
Trumps confidence at this moment in time is infectious. The more air time it get, the swing of independents will cause a preference cascade that will not be muted.
With all due respect I would to Maddow I would rather lissten to Trump’s speech rather than being told by the media what I should or should not hear. In many ways body language play’s an important role in listening and understanfing someon’s thoughts & intent. I often do not agree with Mr Biden but I want the opportunity to hear with my own ears!
Simply put they are vicious liars and thugs and will say or do anything to hold on to power aid and abetted by a propaganda machine that claims to be journalism. Trump can be outrageous, provocative, and just outright wrong, but his characterization of the media as the “enemy of the people” was spot on.
Foxaganda!
Hahahahaha!
Yet you ignore the facts?
What facts are saying are being ignored? I like to know.