Stories about Hunter Biden were “heavily amplified” by Russia throughout the 2020 election cycle, a U.S. intelligence assessment said.
Controversies surrounding the 51-year-old son of President Biden became fodder for Republicans and conservative media in the run-up to the November contest. A report released on Tuesday by the National Intelligence Council does not say any report about Hunter Biden was fabricated by the Kremlin, but rather they were spread with the help of a Russian government effort aimed at “denigrating” the elder Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party in favor of former President Donald Trump.
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“Russian state media, trolls, and online proxies, including those directed by Russian intelligence, published disparaging content about President Biden, his family, and the Democratic Party, and heavily amplified related content circulating in US media, including stories centered on his son,” the declassified report said.
“These influence actors frequently sought out US contributors to increase their reach into US audiences. In addition to election-related content, these online influence actors also promoted conspiratorial narratives about the COVID-19 pandemic, made allegations of social media censorship, and highlighted US divisions surrounding protests about racial justice,” the report added.
‘RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION’ CLAIMS GAVE JOE BIDEN AND MEDIA COVER TO DISMISS HUNTER ALLEGATIONS
Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, among other matters, became prime targets for Trump and his allies to sling at the elder Biden before and during the election cycle. In fact, Hunter Biden’s role with a Ukrainian gas company played a significant role in the 2019 controversy that amounted to Trump’s first impeachment.
During the 2020 election campaign, materials from a laptop and hard drive that purportedly belonged to Hunter Biden snagged headlines, and the younger Biden has never stated publicly that the hardware is not his. The hardware was obtained by the FBI, and in December, the younger Biden revealed that federal investigators were combing through his tax affairs.
“I take this matter very seriously, but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers,” he said at the time.
A copy of the laptop materials were obtained by former Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who shared the contents, which include emails, photos, and other data, with the media.
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Andrii Derkach, a member of Ukraine’s legislature, worked with Giuliani to attack Biden. The intelligence report released on Tuesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin “had purview over the activities of Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian legislator who played a prominent role in Russia’s election influence activities.”
In September, Derkach was deemed “an active Russian agent” seeking to interfere in the 2020 presidential campaign and was sanctioned by the United States.
