Floating Down De Nile: Goldman Declares Hunter Biden Laptop May Be A Fake
Authored by Jonathan Turley via jonathanturley.org,
As Stuart Smiley said on SNL’s Daily Affirmation, “De Nile ain’t just a river in Egypt.” Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman, a member of the House Weaponization of Government committee, caused yet another firestorm of controversy in declaring that the Hunter laptop may be a fake.
That’s right. Despite media, American intelligence, and even other Democrats acknowledging the authenticity of the laptop, Goldman is still spreading denials . . . at a hearing on the weaponization of disinformation policies.
Goldman has previously been criticized for making the case against President Joe Biden in disastrous efforts to discredit whistleblowers.
As in past hearings, the Democrats opposed witnesses who tried to detail the growing evidence of a government-directed censorship system. Members like Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) continued to deny that there was any evidence of such censorship after spending years opposing the investigation of the program. Even with thousands of pages of evidence and a federal judge finding an “Orwellian” censorship system, Plaskett and her colleagues simply denied that such evidence exists.
However, it was Goldman who stole the show in an exchange with journalist Michael Shellenberger. Shellenberger referenced the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story before the election, a decision that Twitter and other companies now admit was wrong.
Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman — a delusional conspiracy theorist — says "there's actual evidence" that Hunter Biden's laptop was "manipulated" by Russia (but can't provide any any said "evidence"). pic.twitter.com/Lcn5cksgmy
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 30, 2023
However, truth has never been a particularly appealing option for politicians, particularly when it must come with an acknowledgment of past culpability in spreading disinformation.
Recently, we discussed how Leon Panetta also doubled down recently on the claim that the laptop may still be Russian disinformation.
Goldman also opted for denial and distraction over honesty and transparency.
He told Shellenberger: “You’ve talked about the Hunter Biden laptop, and how the FBI knew it existed. You are aware, of course, that the laptop, so to speak, … that was published in the New York Post, was actually a hard drive that the New York Post admitted here was not authenticated as real…It was not the laptop the FBI had. You’re aware of that right?”
Shellenberger responded: “It was the same contents.”
Goldman shot back: “How do you know? You would have to authenticate it to know it was the same contents.”
Shellenger responded: “Are you suggesting the New York Post participated in a conspiracy to construct the contents of the Hunter Biden laptop?”
Goldman: “No, sir, the problem is that hard drives can be manipulated by Rudy Giuliani or Russia.”
Shellengberger: “But what’s the evidence that that happened?”
Goldman: “Well, there is actual evidence of it. But the point is, it’s not the same thing.”
Goldman then concluded with the bizarre claim that “I’m glad you agree with me, Mr. Shellenberger, that transparency is the most important thing.”
Goldman has yet to produce the “actual evidence” that the hard drives were changed by Giuliani or Russia.
Before the election, many of us noted that the files on the laptop were easily authenticated and were confirmed by the other parties involved in some of these exchanges. Since then the most damaging emails and messages have been authenticated and are not being denied by the Bidens.
There is of course a term for such conspiracy theories used by Democrats to justify censorship: disinformation. Indeed, the Biden Administration is seeking the censorship of true information deemed “malinformation.”
As someone raised in a liberal, politically active Democratic family in Chicago, it is distressing to see the party continue the push for censorship and blacklisting. However, the effort to deny the authenticity of these emails is particularly chilling. The transfers of millions to the Biden family and related meetings have now been confirmed by witnesses, including some questioned by Goldman.
The fact that Goldman used a hearing on the weaponization of disinformation policies to spread disinformation is crushingly ironic.
This is why floating down “de Nile” remains one of the most treacherous paths in the world.