'I’m not engaging in politics,' says Blinken on Hunter Biden laptop story

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has denied his involvement in a letter that was signed by 51 former intelligence officials in October 2020. The letter aimed to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story, which was linked to a supposed Russian disinformation campaign. The laptop's content included revelations about potential illegal activities involving the US president's son, ranging from parties with prostitutes to "business deals" that traded cash for access to Joe Biden during his time as Barack Obama's vice president.

"With regard to that letter, I didn't – it wasn't my idea, didn't ask for it, didn't solicit it. And I think the testimony that the former deputy director of the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], Mike Morrell, put forward confirms that," Blinked said, as per a report from Sputnik. When he was questioned on whether, in his view, the laptop contained truth or Russian disinformation, Blinken, instead of answering the question honestly, deflected. 

Blinken refuses to answer the 'laptop' question

"From my perspective, I’m not engaging in politics. I’ve got a lot on my agenda, things that we’ve just talked about — trying to help the Ukrainians in the Russian aggression against them, engaging with allies and partners around the world in dealing with some of the challenges posed by China. We have a situation now in Sudan. This has fully occupied my time. So that’s where my focus is," he said. 

Meanwhile, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan and House Intelligence Head Mike Turner have requested information from Secretary of State Antony Blinken after new testimony revealed his ties to a statement that falsely claimed reports about Hunter Biden's laptop were Russian disinformation. In a letter to Blinken, the lawmakers said they are examining the origins of the statement signed by 51 former intelligence officials that discredited the New York Post story on Hunter Biden's laptop. The letter states that Blinken played a role in the statement's inception while serving as a Biden campaign advisor and requests his assistance with oversight.

“We are examining the origins of the infamous public statement signed by 51 former intelligence officials that falsely discredited a New York Post story regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop as supposed Russian disinformation. As part of our oversight, we have learned that you played a role in the inception of this statement while serving as a Biden campaign advisor, and we, therefore, request your assistance with our oversight,” the two stressed in a letter to Blinken.