With Democrats having secured the White House in 2020 and fared better than expected in the 2022 midterms, Monday’s CBS Mornings spent nearly six minutes (five minutes and 41 seconds) finally conceding something ludicrously obvious: Hunter Biden’s laptop from hell is real.
CBS let the intrepid Catherine Herridge out to report on a story purposefully censored by the liberal media and Big Tech. And, sure enough, Herridge commissioned an independent review of a “clean copy” from former Delaware laptop repair shop owner John Paul Mac Issac that found there’s no evidence it was tampered with.
“Coming up, a look inside Hunter Biden's laptop as Republicans prepare to take control of Congress and, therefore, investigations. CBS News obtained the laptop data and commissioned a forensic review. What’d we find? We'll tell you,” boasted co-host Tony Dokoupil in a tease.
Back on October 15, 2020, then-White House correspondent Paula Reid scoffed at the contents of the laptop hard drive originally reported by the New York Post, claiming “[t]he story’s sourcing has also raised questions about its authenticity” and cheered social media censorship because it contained “hacked and private information.” Then-co-host Anthony Mason also dismissed the Post’s findings as “suspicious new claims.”
And on that day’s CBS Evening News, CBS claimed without evidence that the contents were stolen by Russia. A week later, CBS’s 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl laughed at and dismissed its mention by then-President Trump, saying everything has “been investigated and dismissed” because the laptop “can’t be verified.”
Two years later, they sang a different tune. Leading into Herridge’s story, Dokoupil lamented that, with GOP control of the House, Hunter “will be a target for investigations and that means data from a laptop reported to belong to Biden could be crucial to the investigation process.”
Adding, CBS received a copy and “commissioned an independent forensic review to determine its authenticity,” he told Herridge he was “very interested” in what she found.
Herridge cut to the chase with a thesis that should have been clear to the press in October 2020, not November 2022: “The laptop data we had analyzed showed no evidence it was faked or tampered with.”
She then brought in former Secret Service agent and “[d]igital forensic investigator Mark Lanterman” and answered “yes” when asked whether he’s “confident...this is Hunter Brian's data and that it's real.”
Herridge shared “the laptop’s backstory” dating back to 2019 and then, in an attempt to excuse the media’s censorship campaign, fretted that “versions were widely shared by Republican operatives” in the 2020 election cycle and “questions were raised about whether additional files were added to those versions.”
After showing then-candidate Joe Biden calling it “Russian disinformation,” she then played more clips with Lanterman, his son Mark, and Mac Isaac’s attorney. In one clip, Sean Lanterman said that, based on “the sheer volume of” data, “it would be difficult if not impossible to fabricate” (click “expand”):
HERRIDGE: CBS News approached the lawyer for the computer repair shop owner to cut through the noise.
BRIAN DELLA ROCCA: We've always had one clean copy.
HERRIDGE: And obtained a copy of what he says they provided the FBI under subpoena. Then we went to Minneapolis for an independent analysis. [TO LANTERMAN] Were you paid by CBS or anyone else to analyze the data?
MARK LANTERMAN: No.
SEAN LANTERMAN: No.
MARK LANTERMAN: I wouldn't want anyone to think that someone bought our opinion.
SEAN LANTERMAN: Around the corner we'll lead you to what we had call our imaging room —
HERRIDGE: Lanterman and his son Sean, both digital forensic experts, recovered images of credit cards, a driver's license, Social Security number.
SEAN LANTERMAN: Just the sheer volume of what we're dealing with, it would be difficult if not impossible to fabricate.
HERRIDGE: And explained how files built up over years.
SEAN LANTERMAN: It accumulated over time which is consistent with normal, everyday use of a computer.
Herridge then said its contents “fueled Republican interest in Hunter Biden's business ventures” and specifically the infamous 10 percent “for the big guy” e-mail as to “whether President Biden benefitted” from a deal Hunter and Joe’s brother Jim concocted with CEFC, a Chinese energy company.
Herridge even mentioned the name Tony Bobulinski, the first time he’s ever been uttered on network television and two bombshell Tucker Carlson interviews (see here and here) (click “expand”):
HERRIDGE: Two of Hunter Biden's former business partners including Tony Bobulinski, who received the email, told CBS News the “ten held by the H for the big guy” is shorthand for 10 percent for Hunter for his father. After the email became public in 2020, the author of the e-mail told The Wall Street Journal Joe Biden was not involved. The author has not responded to CBS News’s questions. Mr. Biden has consistently denied knowledge of his son's work or financially benefiting from it.
BIDEN: I've never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.
HERRIDGE: Last month, Senator Chuck Grassley wrote this letter alleging bank records and financial data showed that Hunter Biden and the President's brother profited from a $5 million wire from a company connected to CEFC, the Chinese energy firm.
Following clips of moderate Republican strategist Doug Heye warning investigations into Hunter could “backfire,” Herridge threw in a dismissal meant to suggest there’s no there there: “After two years of scrutiny, the laptop has not produced evidence President Biden directly benefited from his son's business deals.”
This all led co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King to fret: “Hmmm. Could be a lesson to pay your bills. $85 could have changed everything had the bill been paid.”
Where in the world was this take two years ago, Gayle?
As our Geoff Dickens has documented (see here, here, here, here, and here for a brief sampling), the liberal media have spent the past two years not only ignoring the laptop, but the dozens of scandals involving Hunter with many based on the contents of this laptop from hell.
CBS deciding to authentic and admit the laptop was real two years after the fact was made possible thanks to advertisers such as Crest and Ford. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the transcript of the full segment from November 11, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
November 11, 2022
7:21 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Coming Up; Inside Hunter Biden’s Laptop]
TONY DOKOUPIL: Coming up, a look inside hunter Biden's laptop as Republicans prepare to take control of Congress and, therefore, investigations. CBS News obtained the laptop data and commissioned a forensic review. What’d we find? We'll tell you.
(....)
7:30 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Inside Hunter Biden’s Laptop; CBS News Obtains Laptop Data Purportedly Belonging to President’s Son]
DOKOUPIL: And as Republicans take control of the House, Hunter Biden, the President's son, will be a target for investigations and that means data from a laptop reported to belong to Biden could be crucial to the investigation process. CBS News has obtained its data not through a third party or political operative, but directly from the source who told us they provided it to the FBI under subpoena and we commissioned an independent forensic review to determine its authenticity. Senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge joins us now with what we found. I'm very interested. Good morning.
CATHERINE HERRIDGE: Good morning, Tony. These House Republican investigations are coming, and that could be a challenge for the White House as we head into 2023 and 2024. The laptop data we had analyzed showed no evidence it was faked or tampered with. Digital forensic investigator Mark Lanterman was previously a member of a Secret Service electronic crimes task force.
MARK LANTERMAN: There was one thing that got my attention, and that was a voicemail.
JOE BIDEN: It’s Dad. I called to tell you I love you. I love you more than the whole world, pal. Got to get some help.
HERRIDGE: That voicemail, apparently from Joe Biden during his son's drug addiction, is one of many findings used to authenticate laptop data. [TO LANTERMAN] You're confident, based on your analysis, this is Hunter Brian's data and that it's real?
MARK LANTERMAN: Yes.
HERRIDGE: This Delaware computer shop is where the laptop’s backstory begins. Their records indicate, in April, 2019, Hunter Biden took his laptop in for repair, but never paid. After 90 days, the store considered it abandoned. Then in December, 2019, the FBI subpoenaed the store's owner to turn over the computer and a portable drive of its data.
DONALD TRUMP: Whatever happened to Hunter?
HERRIDGE: During the 2020 election, versions were widely shared by Republican operatives, including Rudy Giuliani.
RUDY GIULIANI: We have the entire hard drive.
HERRIDGE: But questions were raised about whether additional files were added to those versions. Then-candidate Biden labeled the controversy disinformation.
BIDEN [on 10/22/20]: What this — he's accusing me of is a Russian plant.
HERRIDGE: CBS News approached the lawyer for the computer repair shop owner to cut through the noise.
BRIAN DELLA ROCCA: We've always had one clean copy.
HERRIDGE: And obtained a copy of what he says they provided the FBI under subpoena. Then we went to Minneapolis for an independent analysis. [TO LANTERMAN] Were you paid by CBS or anyone else to analyze the data?
MARK LANTERMAN: No.
SEAN LANTERMAN: No.
MARK LANTERMAN: I wouldn't want anyone to think that someone bought our opinion.
SEAN LANTERMAN: Around the corner we'll lead you to what we had call our imaging room —
HERRIDGE: Lanterman and his son Sean, both digital forensic experts, recovered images of credit cards, a driver's license, Social Security number.
SEAN LANTERMAN: Just the sheer volume of what we're dealing with, it would be difficult if not impossible to fabricate.
HERRIDGE: And explained how files built up over years.
SEAN LANTERMAN: It accumulated over time which is consistent with normal, everyday use of a computer.
HERRIDGE: There's some reporting about folders being added.
MARK LANTERMAN: We have read these articles. We don't see that. So I believe that that's because we have a more pristine copy.
HERRIDGE: The laptop and its contents have fueled Republican interest in Hunter Biden's business ventures.
SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): Hunter Biden was working with Chinese nationals —
HERRIDGE: They say this May 2017, e-mail outlining a proposed business deal with a Chinese energy firm is one reason why they have questions about whether President Biden benefitted.
CONGRESSMAN JAMES COMER (R-KY): We're prepared to subpoena Hunter Biden. We would certainly hope that he would want to come before the committee and clear his name.
HERRIDGE: Two of Hunter Biden's former business partners including Tony Bobulinski, who received the e-mail, told CBS News the “ten held by the H for the big guy” is shorthand for 10 percent for Hunter for his father. After the email became public in 2020, the author of the e-mail told The Wall Street Journal Joe Biden was not involved. The author has not responded to CBS News’s questions. Mr. Biden has consistently denied knowledge of his son's work or financially benefiting from it.
BIDEN: I've never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.
HERRIDGE: Last month, Senator Chuck Grassley wrote this letter alleging bank records and financial data showed that Hunter Biden and the President's brother profited from a $5 million wire from a company connected to CEFC, the Chinese energy firm.
DOUG HEYE: They are going to look at every part of the Joe Biden administration.
HERRIDGE: Doug Heye is a Republican strategist.
HEYE: A lot of this is also going to be aggressive on Hunter specifically. We're going to hear a lot about the laptop, who profited, was the law broken, was it not broken?
HERRIDGE: After two years of scrutiny, the laptop has not produced evidence President Biden directly benefited from his son's business deals.
HEYE: If there's dirt there, that will dirty him up. If not, those attacks can backfire.
HERRIDGE: The White House declined to comment. Hunter's lawyer did not address our specific questions about the data or the CBS forensic review but said, “there have been multiple attempts to hack, infect, distort, and peddle misinformation regarding Mr. Biden's devices and data.” And, “at no time did any individual, including the I.T. repair shop owner, Mr. Mac Isaac, have Mr. Biden’s consent to access his computer data or share it with others.” The lawyer also referred us to Hunter Biden's memoir where the President's son slammed the “despicable” opposition that purported to have a laptop belonging to him. Gayle?
GAYLE KING: Hmmm. Could be a lesson to pay your bills. $85 could have changed everything had the bill been paid. Thank you so much, Catherine. Always good to have you here. Been awhile.
HERRIDGE: You're welcome.
KING: Good to see you.
