Federal Probes of Hunter Biden Continue; NYT Confirms Laptop After Casting Doubt
Summary from the AllSides News Team
As the Justice Department and federal prosecutors continue their investigations into Hunter Biden, a laptop with files containing potential evidence against him continues to fuel biased news coverage.
In a Thursday report on the investigations into Biden's international business dealings and work with Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, the New York Times said that prosecutors reviewed a collection of emails "from a laptop abandoned by Mr. Biden in a Delaware repair shop." The laptop was reported by the New York Post in October 2020, and fueled criticism of Biden from the right and conservative media. Conversely, the Times cast doubt on the laptop's existence, and Twitter and Facebook initially limited sharing of the Post report over accuracy concerns. The Times described the Post's reporting on the laptop as "unsubstantiated" in September 2021, before removing that word from its article without explanation. Some emails from the laptop reportedly reviewed by investigators include correspondence about an alleged 2015 meeting attended by Hunter Biden, then-Vice President Joe Biden and a Burisma executive. Biden hasn't yet been charged with any crime.
Many right-rated sources, as well as Mediaite (Lean Left bias), called out the Times for acknowledging the laptop after previously framing its existence as questionable. Many also highlighted White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki deflecting questions about the laptop Thursday and how Psaki and Joe Biden previously described the laptop story as "Russian disinformation." Aside from Mediaite and CNBC (Center bias), few left and center sources reported recently on Hunter Biden.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Hunter Biden Paid Tax Bill, but Broad Federal Investigation Continues
In the year after he disclosed a federal investigation into his “tax affairs” in late 2020, President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, paid off a significant tax liability, even as a grand jury continued to gather evidence in a wide-ranging examination of his international business dealings, according to people familiar with the case.
Mr. Biden’s failure to pay all his taxes has been a focus of the ongoing Justice Department investigation. While wiping out his liability does not preclude criminal charges against him, the payment could make it harder for prosecutors to win...
From the Right
Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop confirmed in New York Times report
A comprehensive report about the ongoing federal probe into Hunter Biden’s tax filings published by the New York Times on Wednesday night confirmed the existence of the first son’s infamous laptop.
In October 2020, The Post exclusively reported on the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop that he ditched at a Delaware repair shop in April 2019.
The laptop’s hard drive contained a trove of emails, text messages, photos and financial documents between Hunter Biden, his family and business associates — detailing how the president’s son used his political leverage in his overseas business dealings....
From the Right
Psaki dodges questions on past dismissal of Hunter Biden laptop as 'Russian disinformation'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment multiple times when asked about her past comments that reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop in 2020 were part of a "Russian disinformation" campaign.
"I’d point you to the Department of Justice and also to Hunter Biden’s representatives," Psaki told a reporter Wednesday when asked about the White House’s previous dismissal of the laptop reporting which was originally published by the New York Post in October of 2020 and confirmed by the New York Times on Wednesday, well over a year later. "He doesn’t work in government."
Later...
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