Months after becoming Twitter&#8217;s deputy general counsel, former top FBI lawyer James Baker appeared to support the social media site&#8217;s move to suppress the New York Post&#8217;s report on Hunter Biden&#8217;s laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, according to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musk-releases-hunter-biden-files-tweets-deleted-at-behest-of-team-biden-exec-was-key-behind-censorship-decision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">string of messages</a> published Friday evening by journalist Matt Taibbi.
“I support the conclusion that we need more facts to assess whether the materials were hacked. At this stage, however, it is reasonable for us to assume that they may have been and that caution is warranted,” Baker wrote during a discussion among top officials at Twitter about the decision to limit the reach of the story under the site&#8217;s &#8220;hacked materials&#8221; policy.
&#8220;There are some facts that indicate the materials may have been hacked, while there are others indicating that the computer was either abandoned and-or the owner consented to allow the repair shop to access it for at least some purposes,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We simply need more information.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
28. To which former Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker again seems to advise staying the non-course, because “caution is warranted”: <a href="https://t.co/tg4D0gLWI6">pic.twitter.com/tg4D0gLWI6</a>
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1598836516553641989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
No time stamp was given for this particular message, but it appears to have been sent soon after Twitter initially clamped down on its users&#8217; ability to share the Post&#8217;s story about the laptop.
According to Taibbi, the decision to crack down on the reporting &#8220;was made at the highest levels of the company, but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, with former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde playing a key role.&#8221; The journalist also described Baker as the &#8220;former&#8221; deputy general counsel at Twitter, although Baker&#8217;s own <a href="https://twitter.com/thejimbaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter biography</a> still states he holds the role.
The <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/10/14/email-reveals-how-hunter-biden-introduced-ukrainian-biz-man-to-dad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post said it obtained a copy</a> of the laptop&#8217;s hard drive from Rudy Giuliani after Trump ally Steve Bannon notified the publication of the laptop&#8217;s existence. The laptop had been seemingly abandoned at a repair shop in Delaware, and the owner of the shop shared it Giuliani&#8217;s lawyer, Robert Costello.
Baker served as general counsel at the FBI from 2014 to December 2017, when he was reassigned by FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbis-top-lawyer-said-to-be-reassigned/2017/12/21/2ac76640-e6b5-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>.
Baker <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/15/fbi-general-counsel-criminal-investigation-1101774" target="_blank" rel="noopener">came under criminal investigation</a> in 2017 over allegations that he made unauthorized leaks to the media, but the probe ended that same year with no charges. Baker also came under fire for his role in securing the FISA warrant against one-time Trump campaign aide Carter Page, a process marred by the bureau&#8217;s reliance on British former intelligence officer Christopher Steele&#8217;s now-discredited anti-Trump dossier.
House Judiciary Republicans&#8217; Twitter account <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/1598837898945564673">reacted</a> to Taibbi&#8217;s post mentioning Baker with &#8220;Russiagate Jim Baker.&#8221;
One of the authors of the New York Post&#8217;s censored &#8220;smoking-gun email&#8221; report, Emma-Jo Morris, shared a screenshot of a federal subpoena showing the laptop and hard drive had been seized by the FBI, asking whether Baker did &#8220;not recognize this document that the Post published in the first story of the Laptop from Hell series?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Did Jim Baker, former Twitter Deputy Counsel and former Senior FBI, not recognize this document that the Post published in the first story of the Laptop from Hell series? <a href="https://t.co/BN67yPijPt">pic.twitter.com/BN67yPijPt</a>
— Emma-Jo Morris (@EmmaJoNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmaJoNYC/status/1598878869033193472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hunter Biden

Top FBI Lawyer-Turned-Twitter Counsel Supported Decision To Suppress Hunter Biden Laptop Story: Report

2020 Election

Big Tech

Elon Musk

Twitter

U.S.

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-d-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington, D.C.</a>, jury convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes of seditious conspiracy for his role in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/january-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">January 6, 2021, riot</a> at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/us-capitol" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Capitol</a> on Tuesday.
The jury convicted Rhodes alongside Kelly Meggs, who headed the Oath Keepers Florida chapter, on sedition charges after three days of deliberation. Three other Oath Keepers — Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, and Thomas Caldwell — were convicted of related felony charges over January 6, according to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-oath-keepers-and-oath-keepers-member-found-guilty-seditious-conspiracy-and-other" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a>.
“As this case shows, breaking the law in an attempt to undermine the functioning of American democracy will not be tolerated,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “The FBI will always uphold the rights of all citizens who peacefully engage in First Amendment protected activities, but we and our partners will continue to hold accountable those who engaged in illegal acts regarding the January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol.”
Rhodes and Meggs’ cases are among over 900 that the Justice Department has brought against people accused of crimes related to the January 6 riot. Wray’s FBI has led the investigation into the hundreds of defendants.
The trial took about eight weeks. The seditious conspiracy cases against Rhodes and Meggs are the first to be successfully prosecuted since 1995 when a group of Islamic militants were found guilty of planning to set off a series of bombings across New York City, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/29/us/politics/oath-keepers-trial-verdict-jan-6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
In addition to sedition, Rhodes was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents and proceedings. Meggs was also found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and of obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering with documents or proceedings.
Rhodes, Meggs, Harrelson, and Watkins will remain in prison until sentencing. Caldwell will remain on release until sentencing, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/29/stewart-rhodes-oath-keepers-verdict-00071248" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>.
Rhodes’ attorney Ed Tarpley called the verdict a “mixed bag,” noting that the jury acquitted each defendant on at least one charge. Another defense attorney, Lee Bright, said that he thought the jury was fair, but believed the defendants would have had a better outcome had they been tried outside of Washington, D.C. Tarpley said he plans to appeal the jury’s decision.
Of the five defendants, Meggs faces the longest potential stint in prison with a max sentence of 86 years. Rhodes faces a maximum sentence of 60 years. Watkins, Harrelson, and Caldwell face a max sentence of 56 years, 46 years, and 40 years in prison, respectively.

Stewart Rhodes

Oath Keepers Founder Convicted Of Seditious Conspiracy Over Capitol Riot

Crime

Department of Justice

January 6

Politics

United States Capitol

Washington D.C.

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> is asking a federal judge to force the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> (DOJ) to turn over an unredacted copy of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> affidavit used to justify a raid on Trump’s Florida residence.
Trump’s legal team filed the request with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who has overseen Trump’s legal efforts to push back against the DOJ investigation into classified documents the former president allegedly stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House. Cannon previously approved Trump’s request for a special master to oversee the FBI’s audit of a trove of documents confiscated from Trump in an August FBI raid.
In a Tuesday court <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/609516253/Trump-Affidavit-Motion#fullscreen&amp;from_embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filing</a>, Trump’s attorneys argued that they need access to the underlying affidavit to ensure the information the FBI used to justify the raid was accurate and to ensure that their client’s rights are being respected. The publicly-released version of the affidavit <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-doj-releases-affidavit-justifying-fbi-raid-on-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contained</a> significant redactions.
“In the public version, … 50 of the affidavit’s 84 total paragraphs are blacked out; of the 55 paragraphs following the header ‘Probable Cause,’ only four are fully unredacted,” the filing says. “There is no legitimate basis to withhold the redacted information from Plaintiff.”
The DOJ has said that the redactions to the affidavit are necessary to protect sources that have aided in the FBI investigation into the Mar-a-Lago documents. The DOJ’s sources’ identities must continue to be protected in case the department should need them later in its investigation, the government has said. The redactions also protect important FBI methods of investigation, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-lawyers-doj-ordered-turn-unredacted-mar-lago/story?id=93807888" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>.
Trump’s attorneys said that repeated leaks about the investigation from the DOJ to the media have undermined the government’s case to keep its own sensitive information protected.
“The exceptional circumstances here — including a virtually limitless search of a President’s home, the seizure of huge amounts of personal materials including attorney-client privileged documents, and an Attorney General’s publication of the Government’s position in an unprecedented press conference — require the disclosure of the affidavit,” the filing says.
“The idea that the Government must keep the details of the affidavit from Plaintiff is further undermined by the repeated leaks by DOJ of selected and misleading information,” it continued. “The Government’s conduct alone justifies the release of the affidavit to Plaintiff.”
The filing in Cannon’s court came hours before the former president’s legal team faced off with prosecutors in front of a three-judge panel at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The judges heard arguments over the basis of Cannon’s decision to approve Trump’s request for a special master.
The judges on the panel, two of whom were Trump appointees, appeared skeptical of the Trump team’s arguments, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/22/feds-battle-trump-over-outside-review-of-seized-mar-a-lago-documents-00070541?nname=playbook&amp;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&amp;nrid=0000015e-f320-d26d-a7fe-fbf341270000&amp;nlid=630318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>. The judges pushed Trump’s attorneys for a basis for a special master in a case where the affidavit has not been found to be incorrect. Trump’s team argued about the unprecedented nature of the case in which the home of a former president was raided by the FBI.
Attorney General Merrick Garland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/from-the-hague-to-obamas-irs-scandal-meet-jack-smith-the-new-special-counsel-to-investigate-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named</a> a special counsel last week to take over the DOJ investigation into the documents. Garland said that Trump’s announcement of his candidacy for president in 2024 necessitated that the investigation is moved under a special counsel outside the DOJ’s purview.

Donald Trump

Trump Says DOJ Should Spill All Its Secrets About Mar-A-Lago Raid After ‘Repeated Leaks’ To Media

Courts

Florida

Mar-a-Lago

John Paul Mac Isaac was an introverted Delaware computer repair man until his life was destroyed for trying to do the right thing, with authorities thwarting or ignoring him at every turn, he said in a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Injustice-Battle-Expose-Truth/dp/1637586841/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book released Tuesday</a>. &#8220;&#8216;If you see something, say something&#8217;, we&#8217;re told. I did see something, and I did say something. I was vilified for it,&#8221; he wrote.
Mac Isaac said that a boozy Hunter Biden dropped off three laptops for repair on April 12, 2019, and agreed to pay $85 to recover files from one of them, whose password was something like &#8220;analf&#8212;69.&#8221; The now-First Son came back a few days later to bring an external drive, then never responded to the call informing him that the recovery was complete.
Mac Isaac immediately saw homemade porn littering the desktop, along with financial records detailing millions of dollars in foreign transactions. He wanted nothing to do with a political scandal, but he figured it would be a moot point, as Joe Biden seemed too old to advance in the Democratic primary.
But when then-President Donald Trump was subjected to impeachment proceedings related to his allegedly pressuring Ukraine president to investigate the Biden family&#8217;s business dealings there, Mac Isaac sensed injustice. &#8220;I was sitting on evidence that could exonerate the president and justify his actions. Whether you like a person or not, everyone is entitled to a fair trial,&#8221; he wrote. And under his contract, abandoned property legally became his.
Reviewing the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-biden-laptop-reveals-disturbing-information-about-presidents-son-underage-relative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">laptop&#8217;s contents</a>, Mac Isaac had seen that in 2014, Hunter and his business partner Devon Archer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-bidens-laptop-documents-at-least-459-legal-violations-watchdog-group-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plotted</a> a business venture in Ukraine that overlapped with U.S. actions. They discussed buying burner phones at a 7-Eleven. On April 16, 2014, Vice President Biden met with Archer at the White House. Five days later, the vice president traveled to Ukraine. The day after that, Archer was awarded a position on the board of directors of the country&#8217;s oil and gas firm Burisma, with Hunter joining weeks later, &#8220;to the tune of $1,295,000 each,&#8221; Mac Isaac wrote. The computer&#8217;s contents also showed Hunter telling his daughter that unlike his father, he wouldn&#8217;t make her give him half the money she earned.
<blockquote>
<h1>&#8220;You better lawyer up and don&#8217;t talk to anyone about this,&#8221; the FBI agent said, according to Mac Isaac. &#8220;The door is on the left.&#8221;</h1>
</blockquote>
Vadym Pozharskyi, Burisma&#8217;s number-two official, wasted no time in asking for Hunter and Archer&#8217;s &#8220;advice on how you could use your influence to convey a message/signal, etc, to stop what we consider to be politically motivated actions&#8221; related to an investigation into Burisma, he wrote. On April 17, Pozharskyi &#8220;thanked Hunter for the opportunity to meet his father,&#8221; he wrote.
Hunter and Archer hired a company called Blue Star Strategies &#8220;to perform the heavy lifting between Burisma and the White House,&#8221; and Blue Star began providing Burisma with sensitive executive-branch information, Mac Isaac wrote. In December 2015, Joe Biden visited Ukraine and threatened to withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees unless the prosecutor who had investigated Burisma was fired.
Mac Isaac became convinced that federal authorities needed to see what was on the hard drive, but he was concerned about bringing it to Delaware-based agents because of the Bidens&#8217; sway. His father was a former Air Force colonel who had spent time at the CIA, so on October 9, 2019, the elder Mac Isaac flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico to deliver a copy of the drive to an FBI field office there. But the agent refused to accept it, instead grilling Mac Isaac&#8217;s father on whether the computer repairman might have broken the law, he wrote.
&#8220;I consulted with a regional legal officer, and he suggested you should get a lawyer,&#8221; the FBI agent said, according to Mac Isaac. &#8220;You better lawyer up and don&#8217;t talk to anyone about this&#8230; I don&#8217;t have anything else for you, and the door is on the left.&#8221;
In November 2019, Special Agent Joshua J. Wilson of the FBI&#8217;s Baltimore/Wilmington division contacted the Mac Isaacs. Impeachment hearings were under way in the Senate. On November 19, 2019, Wilson and another agent with the last named DeMeo visited Mac Isaac&#8217;s apartment. Mac Isaac printed out key emails and slid them to the agents, saying &#8220;This collection of emails shows preferred access to the State Department as well as the vice president&#8217;s travel schedule, all sent to private Ukrainian citizens.&#8221;
&#8220;Have you spoken with anyone else about this?&#8221; Wilson asked, according to Mac Isaac. The agents left without taking the emails — taking only the contract that showed whether Mac Isaac was the legal owner of the laptop, he wrote.
On December 9, 2019, they showed up with a subpoena to take the original laptop computer, instead of taking a cloned copy as originally discussed. On their way out, DeMeo allegedly remarked, &#8220;It is our experience that nothing ever happens to people that don&#8217;t talk about these things.&#8221;
They said they were taking the physical computer so the FBI&#8217;s top computer experts could assess it. But someone named Matt soon called with the most basic questions about how to read a Mac hard drive. And he was attempting to boot up the operating system directly, which could spoil the intact nature of the evidence. Mac Isaac said they could come back to the shop so he could show them how to recover a hard drive. DeMeo was standing in the room with Matt. &#8220;Absolutely not. We&#8217;re done; hang up,&#8221; Mac Isaac heard him say, according to the book.
&#8220;I sat back and pondered the multitude of possible reasons these FBI agents had chosen to give the laptop to someone who clearly knew very little about computers,&#8221; he wrote. The weeks passed, and Trump&#8217;s impeachment proceeded, with the laptop still unknown to the world.
Mac Isaac was just an ordinary person with no experience dealing with the media, politicians or government. With no movement from the FBI, his father tried to get it to the offices of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Jim Jordan, but got no bite, he said.
Mac Isaac sent a tip to Sen. Ron Johnson&#8217;s office, and received back only an unsigned note that asked a few terse questions that seemed to probe into his own actions more than the substance of the laptop. Johnson&#8217;s office then leaked Mac Isaac&#8217;s identity to investigative reporter John Solomon without his consent, he claimed. When Mac Isaac pressed for a substantive conversation with a Johnson aide, the aide called and said that two National Security Administration officials were also on the line, who proceeded to take over the call and grill Mac Isaac about his own actions — such as asking if he had ever been to Russia — again with little interest in the hard drive itself, Mac Isaac claimed. (Johnson&#8217;s office did not return a request for comment from The Daily Wire.)
<div id="attachment_467564" style="width: 252px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-467564" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-467564 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/naked-2-242x300.jpg" alt="" width="242" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/naked-2-242x300.jpg 242w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/naked-2-465x576.jpg 465w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/naked-2-768x952.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/naked-2-1239x1536.jpg 1239w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/naked-2-1652x2048.jpg 1652w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/naked-2.jpg 1988w" sizes="(max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px" />From Hunter&#8217;s laptop</div>
It was not lost on Mac Isaac that the Trump impeachment trial revolved around a whistleblower whose identity had been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facebook-whistleblower-leftist-activist-lawyer-ukraine-impeachment?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruthlessly shielded</a> — with social media blocking his name and major media avoiding reporting it, even though some outlets reported that the whistleblower was a former aide to Joe Biden who would have had a clear agenda. &#8220;Why was I being made to feel so guilty by the people I was trying to help, for doing the right thing?&#8221; he wrote.
Mac Isaac ultimately took the drive to Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, as a last resort. Robert Costello, who worked for Giuliani, promptly responded to a tip and asked him to FedEx a copy of the drive on August 27, 2020. Costello immediately began going through it.
Through Giuliani, the New York Post obtained access to the laptop, leading to a story that landed on October 14, 2020. The Post neglected to redact the address of Mac Isaac&#8217;s store, leading to a glut of threats and vandalism.
Mac Isaac hoped that, with Giuliani briefing him based on the contents of the hard drive, Trump would bring the truth to America in the presidential debate. But Trump failed to clearly communicate what was on the laptop, Mac Isaac said.
To suppress the Post story, former intelligence operatives traded on their credentials to push a storyline that suggested that the kilt-wearing Scotsman with albinism was actually a Russian agent. &#8220;Did they actually think I&#8217;d come to Wilmington ten years earlier and opened up a Mac repair business as a cover, just waiting for an intoxicated <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/collections/the-hunter-biden-files" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hunter</a> to one day stumble in with a damaged laptop?&#8221; he wrote.
The day after the election, he closed down his business and left the state. &#8220;I felt like I was being punished for having done the right thing. As if the powers that be were setting an example for others who might have the same notion,&#8221; he wrote.

President Joe Biden Easter Egg Roll

Hunter Biden’s Laptop Repairman Explains How The FBI Buried A Bombshell

Hunter Biden's Laptop Repairman Explains How The FBI Buried A Bombshell

Books

Readers Pass

Ron Johnson

Rudy Giuliani

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), a fierce defender of American civil liberties, harshly confronted FBI Director Christopher Wray about the communication between social media companies and the FBI regarding social media users’ private information.
Paul’s withering questions were prompted by a House report detailing whistleblower claims of the FBI’s bias toward the political Left.
“Is Facebook or any other social media company supplying private messages or data on American users that is not compelled by the government or the FBI?” Paul asked Wray. “No warrant, no subpoena, they’re just supplying you information on their users?”
“I don’t believe so, but I can’t sit here and be sure of that as I sit here,” Wray replied.
“Can you give us a yes or no by going back to your team and asking? Because it’s a very specific question. Because if they are, it’s against the law,” Paul said, citing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. “This was done to protect the privacy of people so we could feel like we can send an email or direct message to people without having that information given over. It’s a very specific question: Will you get with your team of lawyers and give us a specific answer? Because this is the law. If you’re doing it, then we need to go to court to prevent you from receiving this information.”
“Well, I can tell you that I’m quite confident that we’re following the law — ” Wray began.
“Well, that’s not the answer — ” Paul interjected.
“ — but what I will also follow up with you to make sure we get you more information, more detailed information,” Wray finished.
“Is the FBI obtaining anonymous social media data and then using technical methods to pierce the anonymous nature of the data?” Paul fired.
Wray paused for a long moment, then, looking puzzled, replied, “Anonymous social media data?”
“So you purchase data,” Paul explained. “People purchase data all the time and we sort of tolerate it for advertisings and things because it’s anonymous data. Are you purchasing what is said to be anonymous data through the marketplace and then piercing the anonymous nature to attach individual names to that data? &#8230; Are you purchasing data and then piercing the anonymous nature of that data?”
“So the manner in which we use — we usually use the term commercial data — is probably longer that I can explain here, But again, let me — ” Wray dodged.
“So you will not answer the question of whether or not you’re attaching names to anonymous data,” Paul charged.
“I think it’s a more complicated answer than I can give here,” Wray answered.
“So. So far we’re 0 for 2 at getting you to answer this, but you’re pledging you will actually answer the question, because you have to realize the frustration; we’ll write you a letter and your team of lawyers will write back with a 15-page letter that says nothing and you won’t answer the question. These are very specific. This is whether you’re obeying the law, whether we can have confidence. I want to have confidence,” Paul declared.
“We are obeying the law,” Wray insisted.
“Well, you’re saying that, but you won’t tell us the answer,” Paul stated. “You aren’t telling me the answer. And the answer is: Are you collecting data not compelled by a warrant? That would not be in compliance with the law. But you won’t answer that you’re not collecting that data.”
Later, Paul asked, “Are you getting tips and leads from social media companies?”
“We get tips and leads from companies, absolutely,” Wray admitted.
“You may think this is jolly well to get all this stuff without a warrant that people volunteer to you, but many of us are alarmed that you’re getting this information that are private communications between people because it is against the law; it’s against the law for Facebook or social media companies to give it to you, but it’s also against the law for you to receive it,” Paul concluded.
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Collage Maker-18-Nov-2022-11.19-AM

‘You Won’t Answer The Question’: Rand Paul Grills FBI’s Wray On Getting Private Info From Facebook, Social Media Companies

Rand Paul Grills FBI’s Wray On Getting Private Info From Facebook, Social Media Companies

Christopher Wray

Facebook

Rand Paul

Social Media

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-wray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher Wray</a> admitted Thursday that he left early a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate</a> oversight hearing in August to go on vacation.
Wray appeared in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee on Thursday alongside Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid. The trio was brought before the committee to testify over national security threats to the U.S.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) grilled Wray over his reason for leaving an August hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee after only one round of questioning. Wray said he did not cut the hearing short; his early departure was agreed upon ahead of time with the committee chair, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
“The hearing was not cut short. From my experience, we had agreed upon the time and length of it, and I was very surprised to find that anyone on the committee was surprised,” Wray said when asked about his use of a private FBI jet to fly to the Adirondacks. The FBI director is required by law because of the sensitive nature of his job to use a private FBI jet anytime he flies.
Wray at first avoided a question about his reason for flying to the Adirondacks. When pressed by Hawley why Wray left a “statutorily required oversight hearing” before a second round of questioning, the FBI director admitted he left for a family vacation.
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Wray testified that he was “very surprised” that Republicans on the Judiciary Committee were unaware of his early departure from the hill. At the time, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IO) <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/07/fbi-director-christopher-wray-is-guiding-the-agency-the-wrong-way-fast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complained</a> about Wray’s early departure after hearing about the FBI director’s plans only after the hearing was underway.
“We just heard a half hour ago about you having to leave at 1:30,” Grassley said at the time. “We were going to have seven minutes [each] for first round [questions and] three-minute second rounds. I’ve got seven people on my side of the aisle want their additional three minutes. Is there any reason we couldn’t accommodate them for 21 minutes?”
Wray responded: “Senator, I had a flight that I’m supposed to be high-tailing it to outta here, and I had understood that we were going to be done at 1:30, so that’s how we ended up where we are.”
Grassley pointed out that Wray, as FBI director, has access to his own private jet that can depart at any time the director likes. “If it’s your business trip, you’ve got your own plane. Can’t it wait a while?” Grassley asked.
Wray demurred without offering to push his flight back. At the end of the hearing, Wray confirmed to Grassley that the director was leaving for “other business.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Christopher Wray Faces GOP Grilling In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xAoDKsp9NsA?start=8689&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Under questioning from Hawley, Wray said that “the reference to ‘other business’ was not a reference to that day. It was a reference to the following week when Senator Grassley and I were going to see each other in Iowa.”
Hawley shot back: “You left an oversight hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee required by statute so you could vacation with your family. I find that absolutely unbelievable and, frankly, indefensible.”

‘Indefensible’: FBI Director Wray Grilled For Leaving Oversight Hearing Early For Vacation

Chuck Grassley

Congress

Josh Hawley

U.S. Senate

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Homeland Security Committee House members Tuesday that the video-sharing app TikTok poses national security threats from the Chinese Communist Party.
Concerns from Wray and the FBI come off the heels of Federal Communications Commission officials urging the U.S. government to ban the app to protect American citizens&#8217; private data, citing issues with controlling the information flow back to Beijing. TikTok officials denounced the federal agency&#8217;s accusations, saying FCC officials have no role in the confidential discussions with the U.S. government related to the app.
&#8220;We do have national security concerns — at least from the FBI&#8217;s end — about TikTok,&#8221; Wray said in a hearing focused on <a href="https://homeland.house.gov/activities/hearings/11/04/2022/worldwide-threats-to-the-homeland">Worldwide Threats to the Homeland</a>. &#8220;They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users. Or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations if they so chose. Or to control software on millions of devices, which gives it opportunity to potentially technically compromise personal devices.&#8221;
Chinese tech giant ByteDance owns TikTok, which currently has more than 200 million downloads in the United States — and according to Fox Business, the company must share its data with the CCP upon request, as required by Chinese law.
Wray confirmed that Chinese companies must &#8220;do whatever the Chinese government wants them to in terms of sharing information or serving as a tool of the Chinese government.&#8221;
&#8220;And so that&#8217;s plenty of reason by itself to be extremely concerned,&#8221; he added.
Vanessa Pappas, a TikTok executive, told U.S. Congress earlier this year that the social media app was making &#8220;progress toward a final agreement with the U.S. government to further safeguard U.S user data and fully address U.S. national security interests,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-fbi-director-says-tiktok-poses-national-security-concerns-2022-11-15/">Reuters</a>.
Aynne Kokas, professor of media studies and the director of the East Asia Center at the University of Virginia, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/16/1137076864/fbi-says-china-could-use-tiktok-to-spy-on-americans-including-government-workers">NPR</a> that the Chinese government uses TikTok to expand extra-territorial control over digital platforms.
&#8220;The Chinese government has allowed for and has encouraged Chinese firms to actually engage in national security data on any data that&#8217;s been gathered by a Chinese firm,&#8221; Kokas said.
Chinese companies operate several apps used by Americans every day, which has sparked concern among U.S. lawmakers about the effectiveness of banning only one program.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) announced last month they would introduce legislation prohibiting TikTok in the United States, outlining the threat that TikTok and other social media businesses that the CCP effectively manages pose to the nation.
Kokas recently published her new book &#8216;Trafficking Data: How China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty,&#8217; which examines how tech ecosystems in the U.S. expand to data-gathering by the Chinese government.
She said Rubio and Gallagher&#8217;s bill presents challenges to protecting American citizens&#8217; data privacy.
&#8220;When we look at all of these wide-ranging apps that are connected to Chinese firms, it&#8217;s actually almost nonsensical to ban just one when we see platforms in areas like precision, agriculture, communications, gaming — all connected to Chinese firms,&#8221; Kokas said, &#8220;So it&#8217;s really important to develop more robust data privacy regulations in the United States to protect users.&#8221;
Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order before leaving office that banned the app from the U.S. in 2020. However, the Biden administration later reversed the order and called for a security review of the app.

US-POLITICS-FBI-WRAY

‘We Do Have National Security Concerns’: FBI Director Warns Chinese Communist Party Uses TikTok To Compromise American Privacy

FBI Director Warns TikTok Poses National Security Concerns

China

Chinese Communist Party

Communist China

TikTok

World

FBI Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-wray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Wray</a> refused to say Tuesday whether <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> sources had dressed as Trump supporters and entered the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/us-capitol" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Capitol</a> ahead of protesters on January 6, 2021.
Wray testified in front of the House Homeland Security Committee alongside Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid. During the hearing, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins (R) questioned Wray on the extent of the FBI’s involvement in the January 6 riot.
“Did the FBI have confidential human sources embedded within the January 6 protesters on January 6 2021?” the Louisiana congressman asked. Confidential human sources are not FBI agents; they are typically insiders in a group or well-connected individuals who have agreed to feed information to the FBI through handlers.
The FBI director said he has to be “very careful” about “when we do and do not and where we have and have not used confidential human sources.”
“To the extent that there’s a suggestion for example that the FBI’s confidential human sources or FBI employees in some way instigated or orchestrated Jan 6, that’s categorically false,” Wray said.
Higgins pressed Wray on if any FBI confidential human sources were dressed as supporters of former President Donald Trump and positioned in the U.S. Capitol “prior to the doors being open[ed].”
Wray began his response reiterating his previous answer when Higgins exploded: “It should be a no! Can you not tell the American people, no, we did not have confidential human sources dressed as Trump supporters positioned inside the Capitol on January 6?”
Wray responded as Higgins time for questioning expired, saying, “You should not read anything into my decision to not to share information related to confidential human sources.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FBI Director Wray: The suggestion, for example, that the FBI&#39;s confidential human sources or FBI employees in someway instigated or orchestrated Jan. 6th, that&#39;s categorically false. <a href="https://t.co/hlW6B9D0Mw">pic.twitter.com/hlW6B9D0Mw</a>
&mdash; Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) <a href="https://twitter.com/Julio_Rosas11/status/1592544604116729858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Prior to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, the FBI had as many as eight sources embedded within the Proud Boys, a right-wing paramilitary group that was represented in the Capitol riot. Five members of the group are scheduled to stand trial next month for their actions leading up to and on January 6. The defendants have been charged with seditious conspiracy for allegedly planning and coordinating the Capitol riot.
The revelation about the FBI informants in the Proud Boys organization came in a series of legal filings made over the past week by the defendants’ attorneys. The defense attorneys argued that prosecutors had improperly withheld information on the informants, and that the information appeared to be favorable to the defense, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/us/politics/fbi-informants-proud-boys-jan-6.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
The new revelation raises questions about what the FBI knew in the weeks and days leading up to the January 6 riot, and why the bureau wasn’t able to prevent the event using information given to it by the Proud Boys informants.
The FBI official leading the investigation into the January 6 riot, Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, is set to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-fbi-official-who-led-whitmer-kidnapping-plot-j6-investigations-to-retire-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retire</a> at the end of the month. The FBI announced D’Antuono planned departure in an internal memo last week.
Before taking his post in Washington, D.C., D’Antuono worked in the FBI field office in Detroit. As the special agent in charge, D’Antuono oversaw the bureau’s investigation into a group of militia men and busted a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The Whitmer plot received national attention when it first broke into the news in October 2020, just weeks away from the presidential election between then-President Trump and then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The plot was immediately characterized in the media as one of the most important domestic terror cases in decades.
Questionable conduct by FBI agents and informants, which came to light in the ensuing trials, marred the bureau’s image and the plot’s investigation. Of the six men charged by the Department of Justice in the plot, two cut plea deals before heading to trial, two were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-whitmer-plot-jury-refuses-to-convict-on-conspiracy-charges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquitted</a> at trial, and two were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jury-convicts-two-men-of-conspiring-to-kidnap-michigan-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> guilty of conspiracy in a second trial after the first jury hung on the charges.

Clay Higgins

‘It Should Be A No!’: Congressman Explodes After Wray Refuses Question On FBI, January 6

The FBI&#8217;s decision to probe the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graphic-video-israeli-guards-take-out-palestinian-terrorist-who-murdered-18-year-old-female-idf-soldier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death of a Palestinian-American journalist</a> in Israel has prompted anger from the Israeli government, which accused the Biden administration of interfering in its internal affairs.
The FBI announced it was conducting its own investigation into the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who worked for Al Jazeera. Akleh was killed during a shootout between Israel Defense Forces and Palestinians on May 11 in Jenin, a hotbed of Palestinian terrorism.
“The IDF is a moral and ethical army,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/362841" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a>. “IDF soldiers and their commanders defend the state of Israel. The IDF thoroughly investigates any irregular event and is committed to the values and laws of democracy.”
“Our soldiers will not be investigated by the FBI or by any other foreign country or entity, however friendly it may be,” continued Rapid, who will soon be replaced by Benjamin Netanyahu. “We will not abandon our soldiers to foreign investigations. We have conveyed our strong protest to the United States.”
“I made it clear to the American representatives that we stand behind the IDF&#8217;s soldiers, that we will not cooperate with any external investigation and we will not allow interference in Israel&#8217;s internal affairs,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/11/15/serious-mistake-gantz-blasts-fbi-investigation-into-death-of-abu-akleh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said,</a> noting that Israel had investigated the incident and passed along its information to the Biden administration. He added that the FBI investigation into “the unfortunate death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a grave mistake.”
The Israeli investigation found that Abu Akleh might have been accidentally hit by IDF gunfire but it was not possible to ascertain with any certainty just where the gunfire came from. “It also added that the fire was directed toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen during an exchange of fire in which life-risking, widespread and indiscriminate fire was directed toward IDF soldiers,” <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/11/15/serious-mistake-gantz-blasts-fbi-investigation-into-death-of-abu-akleh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel HaYom</a> reported.
The IDF’s consistent intent to avoid unnecessary bloodshed was amply demonstrated in September, when Major Bar Falah was murdered by Palestinian terrorists. A member of the IDF noticed two Palestinians lying near the security fence near Jenin, The IDF Search and Rescue Brigade fired a stun grenade to catalyze the Palestinians to flee.
“The military suspected the two were planning to ambush troops stationed at the nearby post, and waited after first being detected in order to find a more opportune moment for an attack,” <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-probe-finds-errors-led-to-death-of-senior-officer-in-west-bank-gun-battle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Times Of Israel</a> reported.
The IDF reportedly asked permission to open fire, according to the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-717262" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerusalem Post</a>, but because they could not be completely certain the suspects were carrying weapons, that request was denied; the Israeli soldiers reportedly asked for permission to approach the suspects in an armored jeep; that was denied.
The soldiers approached the Palestinians on foot; the Palestinians opened fire, mortally wounding Falah. The terrorists were killed in a subsequent gun battle. One terrorist turned out to be an intelligence officer in the PA security services and had a submachine gun and semiautomatic weapon.

Israeli Flag

Angered Israel Responds After Biden Administration’s FBI Targets Them

Israel Responds After Biden Administration's FBI Targets Them

Biden Administration

Investigation

Israel

One of the top officials in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI’s</a> Washington Field Office, Steven D’Antuono, is reportedly retiring from the agency at the end of the month.
D’Antuono is the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office. He was promoted in October 2020 from his previous position as special agent in charge of the Detroit Field Office where he over saw the FBI investigation into the conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. He is expected to retire at the end of the month, according to a reportedly internal FBI <a href="https://twitter.com/julie_kelly2/status/1590721095639785472" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a>.
At his role in Washington, D.C., D’Antuono has been one of the chief FBI officials in charge of the bureau’s investigation into the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6. D’Antuono has <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/08/04/sen_ted_cruz_grills_fbi_director_how_is_agent_who_ran_entrapped_fake_whitmer_kidnappers_now_working_on_j-6_case.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> scrutiny and criticism from Republicans over his handling of both the kidnapping conspiracy and January 6 investigations.
D’Antuono’s departure comes as Republicans <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/days-midterm-elections-control-congress-still-limbo-rcna56507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appear</a> to be on the verge of retaking control of the house with a slim majority. The transferal of power away from Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would give Republicans power to dictate House investigations, and the FBI could be a target after numerous whistleblower leaks revealed potential corruption and allegations of politicization at the bureau’s highest levels.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-brass-barred-agents-from-probing-hunters-laptop-whistleblowers-tell-lawmaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this year that his office alone has collected the statements of 14 FBI whistleblowers. In the Senate, Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley (IA) and Ron Johnson (WI) have collected whistleblower testimony as well.
Some of that whistleblower testimony has implicated D’Antuono’s work. The FBI field office assistant director is currently responsible for overseeing the bureau investigation into rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Department of Justice has brought hundreds of charges against alleged rioters as a result of the investigation.
Whistleblower accounts given to Republicans in Congress allege that the January 6 investigation is being manipulated to appear as if domestic extremism is a rising national phenomenon. According to Jordan’s office, one FBI whistleblower said that the FBI is manipulating its casefiles around the investigation to create “false and misleading crime statistics.”
“Instead of hundreds of investigations stemming from a single, black swan incident at the Capitol, FBI and DOJ officials point to significant increases in domestic violent extremism and terrorism around the United States,” the whistleblower <a href="https://republicans-judiciary.house.gov/press-release/whistleblower-alleges-fbi-schemed-to-distort-january-6-cases-into-nationwide-domestic-violent-extremism-epidemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged</a>.
D’Antuono’s work at his previous position in Michigan has also drawn scrutiny. The Department of Justice announced charges related to a conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer in October 2020, weeks before the election. The investigation and bust quickly became “one of the most important domestic terrorism investigations in a generation,” according to <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kenbensinger/michigan-kidnapping-gretchen-whitmer-fbi-informant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BuzzFeed</a>.
Later, doubts grew about the extent of the FBI’s role in the sting as defendants raised questions about the conduct of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whitmer-kidnapping-plot-fbi-informant-slept-in-the-same-room-smoked-weed-with-defendant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">human sources</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conspiracy-to-kidnap-a-governor-fbi-told-informant-to-brand-innocent-man-as-federal-agent-to-avoid-suspicion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI agents</a> involved in the investigation. Of the six men charged by the Department of Justice in the plot, two cut plea deals before heading to trial, two were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-whitmer-plot-jury-refuses-to-convict-on-conspiracy-charges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquitted</a> at trial, and two were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jury-convicts-two-men-of-conspiring-to-kidnap-michigan-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> guilty of conspiracy in a second trial after the first jury hung on the charges.

Top FBI Official Who Led Whitmer Kidnapping Plot, J6 Investigations To Retire: Report

General

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/house-republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Republicans</a> released an extensive report Friday on alleged <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> abuses based on numerous press reports and interviews and accounts from whistleblowers.
The <a href="https://republicans-judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HJC_STAFF_FBI_REPORT.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> is 1,050 pages long and claims there is “rot” at the top levels of the FBI, leading to a politicized law enforcement seemingly targeting conservative Americans. The report also claims that the bureau has failed to enforce laws on figures on the left, such as Hunter Biden.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the stewardship of Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, is broken,” the report begins. The “rot” at the FBI “festers in and proceeds from Washington.”
“Over the last year, a multitude of whistleblowers have approached Judiciary Committee Republicans with allegations of political bias by the FBI’s senior leadership and misuses of the agency’s federal law-enforcement powers,” the report continues. “These whistleblowers have risked their careers out of fidelity to principle and a commitment to restoring public trust in the FBI. This report begins to tell their stories. Even at this early stage, one startling conclusion is clear: the FBI and its parent agency, the Justice Department, have become political institutions.”
The report consists of a 50-page summary of the <a href="https://republicans-judiciary.house.gov/press-release/republicans-release-1000-page-report-on-fbi-doj-politicization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">findings</a> of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. The other 1,000 pages are made up of evidence and other supporting material, such as a timeline of violent attacks on pro-life clinics and numerous letters from lawmakers outlining whistleblower testimony. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are led by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
The report covers allegations that the FBI is padding and manipulating its numbers of “domestic terrorism” cases “to create a misleading narrative that domestic terrorism is organically surging around the country.” It also says that the bureau sought to suppress, at least to a certain extent, allegations of wrongdoing by President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, in the lead up to the 2020 election, and the FBI continues to stonewall on questions of Hunter’s conduct.
Other FBI and Justice Department controversies the report covers are the DOJ’s reported targeting of concerned parents, the FBI’s abuse of foreign surveillance authority, and the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s home.
“The American people entrust the FBI with enormous power to fairly and evenhandedly enforce federal laws. As this report documents, the FBI has abused its law-enforcement authority in several ways — violating the fundamental civil rights of American citizens and chilling their participation in the political process,” the report says.
“Attorney General Garland and FBI Director Wray have weaponized federal law enforcement to target the Administration’s political opponents and protect political allies,” it continues. “Instead of using their enormous law-enforcement capabilities to make America safer, the FBI is investing its limited time and resources to further a leftist political agenda. The American people deserve better, as do the many patriotic Americans who joined the Bureau to make America a better place.”

Merrick Garland

1,000-Page GOP Report Alleges Deep ‘Rot’ At Top Levels Of FBI, DOJ

Executive

House Republicans

Jim Jordan

Hunter Biden complained to family members that his sister-in-law-turned-ex-lover Hallie Biden was accusing him of being sexually inappropriate with a relative in her early teens — accusations he strenuously denied — according to a review of the first son&#8217;s abandoned laptop.
Hunter said in text messages that he was only allowed near the minor if Joe Biden was present to supervise. At another point, Hunter threatened to never set foot in Delaware again if Joe entertained Hallie’s various allegations, and Joe’s brother James said he and Joe “need you[r] side of the story so we can both shove it down her f***ing throat.&#8221;
The Bidens run the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children, which is dedicated to ending child sexual abuse, including by emphasizing mandatory reporting laws.
The review was conducted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-bidens-laptop-documents-at-least-459-legal-violations-watchdog-group-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marco Polo</a>, a nonprofit that spent 15 months poring over the laptop full-time and produced a 644-page <a href="https://bidenlaptopreport.marcopolousa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>. The Daily Wire is not naming the relative or describing her relation because of her age. It has verified the texts on its own copy of the laptop.
On July 25, 2018, Hunter texted the relative: &#8220;It seems every time we talk she tells people I&#8217;m inappropriate with you.&#8221;
<blockquote>
<h1>The relative &#8220;thinks I molest her,&#8221; he complained to Hallie on November 8, 2018.</h1>
</blockquote>
On July 15, 2018, Hunter indicated in a text with his dad that it was Joe&#8217;s idea that Hunter should not be around the minor relative without the now-president&#8217;s personal supervision. Hallie has &#8220;told [the relative] I can see her anytime but that you want to be there for her protection. [Hunter’s daughter] Naomi can&#8217;t do it because I can manipulate Naomi through intimidation and do anything I want to [the relative]. Read those words again Dad. Jesus Christ Dad.&#8221;
Joe replied that Hallie &#8220;is trying to split you and me I think she thinks I won&#8217;t banish her because I&#8217;ll lose my grandchildren But you are more important to me.&#8221;
On August 10, 2018, Joe&#8217;s brother James Biden intervened, saying &#8220;Hunter, it is imperative you call me or your father. Your father is getting as am I barraged by Hallie. He has not responded I have not responded. We both agree with and trust you. She is spreading what you told me and I believe you !!!! Are lies. Once again we both need you[r] side of the story so we can both shove it down her f***ing throat !!!!&#8221;
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-457657 size-full" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/jim.png" alt="" width="459" height="128" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/jim.png 459w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/jim-300x84.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" /></div>
Hunter told his sister Ashley Biden that Hallie also made allegations to his therapist. On September 22, 2018, he texted: &#8220;She told my therapist that I had been sexually inappropriate with [the relative] &#8230; my therapist had to question her for close to 10 minutes to make certain that she did not have an obligation to report me to the police.&#8221; Hunter cautioned his sister not to tell her husband, who is a doctor.
On September 23, 2018, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-row-or-wanted-for-murder-the-cursed-lives-of-hunter-bidens-associates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hunter</a> texted Hallie&#8217;s sister Liz Secundy: &#8220;If you could just urge her to never ever ask me to come home again and then concoct a fight and tell people I&#8217;m sexually inappropriate with [the relative]&#8230; get her to see her own self interest in never saying that again as areason [sic] I&#8217;m not allowed to be alone with [the relative].&#8221;  Liz holds a degree in social work, though she was also on Hunter Biden&#8217;s payroll&#8211;and text messages also show Hunter engaging in sexual talk with Liz herself, promising to &#8220;teach you how to masturbate&#8221; over video chat.
The situation came to a head with Joe that same day. Hunter told Joe that Hallie &#8220;told my therapist that I was sexually inappropriate with [the relative] when she says that I face time naked with her&#8230; When she was pressed she said that [the relative] never said anything like that.”
“I need you to tell her that she is playing a game that really without any exaggeration [could] kill me,&#8221; he pleaded with his father.
Joe responded that he was at Mass with the relative at the time and that, &#8220;I will.&#8221; Hunter said that he couldn&#8217;t handle the idea &#8220;that I was sexually inappropriate-with my 12-14 year old [relative] according to Halie [sic].&#8221;
Joe said that after Mass, Hallie would come over to his lake house. Hunter threatened to never set foot in Delaware again if Joe did not shut down Hallie’s allegations. &#8220;While she tells people I&#8217;m m gettin off sexually with [the relative] then there is no family and there never was &#8230; Dad I&#8217;m very upset that Hallie once again will leave your house having said &#8230; that I&#8217;m a danger and sexually to boot to&#8221; the relative.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-457659 size-full" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/upset.png" alt="" width="384" height="152" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/upset.png 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/upset-300x119.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" /></div>
&#8220;If and when you want to talk about this call me Be careful what you text Likely I&#8217;m being hacked,&#8221; Joe wrote.
On October 23, 2018, after Hallie threw Hunter&#8217;s gun <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-makes-glaring-omission-while-talking-about-his-familys-gun-ownership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">into a dumpster</a> and the FBI questioned the pair, Hunter allegedly texted Hallie: &#8220;They think you&#8217;re scared I would shoot you. You f***ing asshole You now have me as an abusive pedophile with homicidal tendencies. And that&#8217;s now in the hands of the FBI.&#8221; That text was identified by Marco Polo and was not verified by The Daily Wire.
In another text identified by Marco Polo but not verified by The Daily Wire, on November 3, 2018, Hunter allegedly texted Hallie: &#8220;Can I sit in your bedroom with my pants off? Because when [the relative] is upstairs you&#8217;ve made it clear that you should not be alne [sic] with her in a bedroom or bathroom or a car.&#8221;
The relative &#8220;thinks I molest her,&#8221; he complained to Hallie on November 8, 2018.
On December 29, 2018, Hunter complained in a group text with Hallie and Liz: &#8220;Telling people you care (and also saying I was sexually inappropriate with [the relative] at the same time) is not love. Its aq [sic] lie bent on making [me] out to be a monster that you&#8217;ve been burdened with loving.&#8221;
On January 29, 2019, in a group text with Hallie and psychologist Keith Ablow (a different psychologist than the one Hunter previously complained about Hallie telling), he wrote &#8220;She has told them others I am a bad influence that I endanger their health that I&#8217;ve been sexually inappropriate with [the relative] that I have physically abused her that I have e [sic] emotionally abused her&#8230; that If [the relative] were allowed to come visit me I would be &#8216;walking around naked watching porn masturbating and doing drugs in front of her&#8217;. &#8230; she is only allowed alone with me if my father is there.&#8221;
On March 16, 2019, Hunter told Liz that he &#8220;started to believe&#8221; Hallie because he craved the approval of her and Jill Biden, who he worried also believed the allegations. Apparently referring to Joe and Jill Biden, he wrote: &#8220;Why wouldn&#8217;t they believe exactly what Hallie tells them. Or my mom tells him things like I&#8217;m sexually inappropriate with the children.&#8221;
The Bidens in 2015 established the <a href="https://www.beaubidenfoundation.org/our-mission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children</a>, which is dedicated to ending child sexual abuse. On November 28, 2018, Hallie gave a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oLW6rFxC0o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> at the foundation in which she said &#8220;The only way to end child abuse is to talk about child abuse &#8230; we will work to update training for coaches and volunteers on their responsibility as mandatory reporters.&#8221;
Regardless of whether or not the accusations against Hunter are true, some who heard them have jobs that make them mandatory reporters, though it is not clear whether the nature of what they heard would trigger an obligation to report to authorities. The psychiatrist who Hallie told apparently concluded it did not, and some may have heard it only from Hunter himself. Delaware <a href="https://delcode.delaware.gov/title16/c009/sc01/index.html">law</a> says that &#8220;Any person, agency, organization or entity who knows or in good faith suspects child abuse or neglect shall make a report in accordance with § 904 of this title.&#8221;
The White House and Kevin Morris, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, did not return requests for comment, nor did Ashley Biden, Hallie Biden, and Liz Secundy.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-family-sought-to-make-money-by-giving-china-preferential-access-to-us-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden Family Sought To Make Money By Giving China ‘Preferential Access’ To US Energy</a>

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Hunter Biden Laptop Reveals Disturbing Information About President’s Son, Underage Relative

On Laptop, Hunter Biden Denies Relative's Allegations That He Was Sexually Inappropriate With Minor

Child Abuse

Joe Biden

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