About that Laptop...

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So, this topic keeps popping up in other threads, and New York Magazine just dropped a massive and comprehensive article on the actual chain of events regarding the provenance of this infamous device and its contents, even if it reads as if the author is slightly terrified of the subject and has to keep clearing his throat about the wickedness of some of the players and the personal violation of privacy involved, so a new thread feels appropriate. This is a long article so I'm not going to try and quote it, though I might grab some snippets here and there later, but please read it if you've ever been curious about this thing, where it came from, what's on it, and how it was treated in the media, this journalist actually seems to have talked to most of the major players who were involved and paints an extremely interesting portrait of the whole squalid mess:

The Sordid Saga of Hunter Biden’s Laptop

Is Hunter Biden a ne'er-do-well? It seems so. Did he on occasion solicit help from his father in the past? Maybe. That said, this crusade against Biden by the right is a political move to offset investigations into their orange messiah/cinnamon Mussolini, and not to see justice done.
By the way, while the right won't admit this out loud, Tucker Carlson and Hunter Biden are close friends. Scumbags flock together.

Any wonder those on the right flip flop. BTW the MAGA god Trump was for many years close friends of the Clintons.

He most certainly had been.

So has Tucker thrown his old friend Hunter under the bus yet?

I'd be amazed if he hasn't. This is after Hunter helped Tucker get one of his kids in college.

And the answer to that question is....drumroll....nope
As Tucker Carlson asked Hunter Biden for help getting his son into an elite Washington university in 2014, the Fox News host’s wife, Susie, reportedly wrote in an email: “Tucker and I have the greatest respect and admiration for you. Always!”

Since the 2020 election, however, Carlson has fueled rightwing attacks on Joe Biden’s son, particularly over business affairs in which he allegedly benefited from his father’s position.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... own-emails
No honour among criminals and thieves I guess

Wow, even Slate is getting in on this story now. Slate!

The Brewing Scandal Democrats Can No Longer Ignore

Getting dangerously close to self awareness there.

Then again, Ken Starr was determined to get Clinton impeached over an allegedly corrupt real estate deal, but instead ended up looking like the fundie clown he was by persecuting the President over a semen stain on a blue dress. So let's just see what the laptop issue play out.
And very much unlike Trump's denial of his role in trying to overturn a legitimate election, or about how he had stolen classified secrets, and how he and his henchmen are dragging their feet to stop legal proceedings, we have yet to see any of that with Hunter Biden or his dad.

That's why I don't vote Republican or Democrat. They're both secretly in bed together.

Trump's transgressions are like watermelons

"The laptop" is like a cherry in comparison.

I think that laptop should be dug up, fair and square.

Sorry, I must have had two different thoughts playing in my head simultaneously, so I fixed one particular sentence.

What I feel are key points, exerted directly from the article unless otherwise noted:

So after reading all that, my positions on the saga haven't really changed.
1) Hunter is not a political candidate. As such, his actions aren't really our business IMHO.
2) IF Joe Biden made money off illegal actions by Hunter, that could be another issue. But two problems: (a) no proof that he did get a share in any deals and (b) no proof that any of Hunter's deals were illegal (even if shameful or politically toxic).
3) The Justice Department and FBI have access to the original laptop and all the data it contains. Given that Hunter does not hold office, those are the appropriate agencies for determining if anything criminal occurred. Again, he's a private citizen, so the bar is criminal activity, NOT actions damaging to his reputation. And, as we know, government agencies ARE investigating Hunter.
4) I find it absolutely shameful how we tear up family members of politicians who don't hold office themselves, or work for their relative's administration. The man is vulnerable, we all already know that. But he is still a private citizen. Private citizens should not have their lives exposed to the public in this way. Is he protected from consequences on any criminal activity? No, and he should not be. But that so many people are digging into and watching intimate details of his private life really bothers me. I'm consistent on that: I want us out of Melania and Barron Trump's personal business, too. We have no right to be voyeurs to the lives on people who never put their names on a ballot. I realize its nothing unique to the Biden's that the US seems to love this type of gossip, but that does not make it morally right.
5) The information the public has access to is no longer reliable. Too many hands, too many opportunities for data falsification and corruption.

Last edited by DW_a_mom on 21 Sep 2022, 12:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

Which university?

This one
https://wustl.edu/
It's a private university for rich kids