# Hunter Biden Laptop Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 22, 2020, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587 "2020-10-22T11:17:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/202 "2020-10-25T00:18:16Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > I’m happy for any discussion on the validity of it all (I don’t doubt it’s all bull) but I’m really wondering about what can be done forensically to establish veracity. I’m quite ignorant about these things. I used to do digital forensics consulting for about 6 years. My specialty was more databases and ediscovery than validating where the files and emails came from, but I worked closely enough with those guys to understand what they can do (and this was like 10 years ago). Short answer is “pretty easy”. With industry standard digital forensics tools and proper chain of custody, an expert can easily determine where files originated, whether someone tried to delete or modify them, and other clues that would determine the validity of a file or email. Also keep in mind that emails don’t “live” on your laptop. Sure, you can save them locally to your laptop or delete them from your inbox. But any email you send or receive will also exist in all the other recipient and senders mailboxes, the email hosting server and potentially any routine backups that server makes. Not knowing any of the details about this case (and not caring to be honest) I find the timing suspicious. A few weeks before the election, suddenly this “evidence” appears “proving” the Biden’s to be corrupt opportunists? Meanwhile, we are expected to believe Trump and his family, paragons of corporate greed, ineptitude, and bullshittery for the past 40 years is the next Abraham Lincoln? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/203 "2020-10-25T00:25:46Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Trump and his family, paragons of corporate greed, ineptitude, and bullshittery for the past 40 years is the next Abraham Lincoln? Seriously. The only thing Trump has in common with Lincoln is the amount of brains in their heads. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/204 "2020-10-25T00:46:58Z")
This, exactly this. Remember what “Deep Throat” (not the real one, but the "X-Files character) said: “The best way to sell a lie is to slip it between two truths”. Planting kiddie porn on someone’s computer is a known tactic of Russian intelligence. Yes, they do it. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/205 "2020-10-25T00:50:08Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > FFS. Hunter Biden admitted to using bad judgement. > > Honestly. What is the point anymore?.. …I made a bad judgement when I decided to get out of bed this morning. That doesn’t mean that decision deserves the attention of the President of the United States in the middle of a global pandemic that has taken the lives of over 200,000 Americans. I mean what is the point of being President any more? ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/206 "2020-10-25T01:18:19Z")
Why hasn’t anyone asked the Biden’s camp if the emails etc are real or fake? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/207 "2020-10-25T01:21:09Z")
Because smart politicians know that you dont deny crap liek this, it gives it more air times and even creedence. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/208 "2020-10-25T01:36:52Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Ah, and now we see the value in making unsubstantiated accusations. There will be be people who consider them likely, without any proof, and maintain their suspicions. What woild you consider substantiation? Because so far they have a trove of documents that the DNI, DOJ and FBI aay are NOT Russian disinformation. Those documents were also given to journalists at the Post and Wall Street Journal. Since then, Tony Bobulinski has turned over thousands of documents and three unlocked phones to the FBI for review. Do we need an eyewitness? Got that too. Bobulinski is testifying before congress and the FBI under oath that everything he said in his letter is true. And what he said was that the deal they were pursuing involved a 10% cut to ‘the big guy’, which he says was their common term for Joe Biden. And also that they were repeatedly warned to never use Joe Biden’s name in E-mail or text - which is corroborated in one of the E-mails on the hard drive and in Bobulinski’s documents. Here is his statement: He could go to jail if any of it is false, or expose himself to massive civil action by the Biden family for defamation if it’s not true. It’s only 7 minutes long. It’s worth watching. > **[Tony Bobulinski Statement on Hunter Biden](https://www.c-span.org/video/?477307-1%2Ftony-bobulinski-statement-hunter-biden)** > > Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, made a statement about business dealings in China. He said he would turn over electronic evidence of Biden family involvement. In that statement he alleges that contrary to Joe Biden’s claims, he was involved in his son’s business ventures, and Bobulinski has ‘first hand’ knowledge’ of this, having talked to Joe Biden about the business personally. He also claims that the Chinese were actually interested in the Bidens alone, and wound up cutting Sinohawk out of the deal and wiring money directly to Hunter Biden in secret. I guess if you think this is Russian disinformation you also have to believe that Navy vet Bobulinski is a Russian agent, since he has corroborated (and has his own copies) of the E-mails involving him - and they are the most damning ones. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/209 "2020-10-25T02:33:34Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Bobulinski Even if everything Bobulinski says is true, there isn’t any reason to believe Hunter Biden did anything illegal or even unusual here. And there isn’t a hint of whiff of smidge of a reason to think that Joe Biden did anything wrong. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/210 "2020-10-25T02:38:40Z")
Do you have a cite for these claims about documents and investigations and under oath and so on? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/211 "2020-10-25T02:43:58Z")
My hypothesis - there is no real investigation, no real documents, no real nothing, except an attempt to influence these last 10 days of voting and instill some doubt for Biden supporters. The GOP has nothing, anti Biden “journalists” have nothing, and Bobulinski has nothing. After the election doesn’t matter, so it doesn’t matter that there’s absolutely nothing behind it. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/212 "2020-10-25T02:47:21Z")
It’s a smear job. Nothing more. Fox news cite… > **[Ex-Hunter Biden associate's records don't show proof of Biden business...](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hunter-biden-tony-bobulinski-joe-biden-unanswered-questions)** > > Hunter Biden's former business partner Tony Bobulinski claimed this week that former Vice President Joe Biden was allegedly involved in discussions about his son's business dealings, something the Democratic presidential nominee has... > Fox News has reviewed emails from Bobulinski related to the venture — and they don’t show that the elder Biden had business dealings with SinoHawk Holdings, or took any payments from them or the Chinese. Sam is falling for yet another, “We’ll see in a few days,” line of BS. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/213 "2020-10-25T02:56:26Z")
If they had something, it would be released by now. Millions of Americans have already voted and are voting every day. I don’t see any reason to believe that this is anything other than late stage desperation nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/214 "2020-10-25T03:56:36Z")
Sam, I’ll ask again: why did Giuliani go to a third rate newspaper with this? If the evidence is good, why not Fox? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/215 "2020-10-25T04:03:14Z")
Fox wouldnt take it, I heard. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/216 "2020-10-25T04:03:58Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > If they had something, it would be released by now. Millions of Americans have already voted and are voting every day. I don’t see any reason to believe that this is anything other than late stage desperation nonsense. Except it’s not late stage desperation; they’ve been pushing this story since 2019. And you can be sure that they’ve looked for _any_ dirt they can find on Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Hunter Biden or even the late Beau Biden. And this is the best dirt they could find. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/217 "2020-10-25T06:14:02Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > Why hasn’t anyone asked the Biden’s camp if the emails etc are real or fake That has been answered a few times already, but go ahead and ask it again and again if that is all you have. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/218 "2020-10-25T11:52:51Z")
I agree. And in my business, there are certain people who that others always want on board with a project (often, say, as part of an advisory board) because once so-and-so is involved, the project gains credibility. Even though often these folks will do little more than collect a consulting fee and show up at a few events. But I am also sure that the great majority of people wouldn’t know about that- why would they? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/219 "2020-10-25T12:30:11Z")
Okay, that they’re going back to this shows their desperation, because they have nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/220 "2020-10-25T12:31:56Z")
@Ann_Hedonia, @Czarcasm, @k9bfriender, @iiandyiiii, etc… - Stepping back in after realizing that in the heat of the argument I made some completely inarticulate statements which actually do not reflect my position. Rather than try to backtrack to show that i meant X when I said Y, allow me to say the following… There is no parallel to draw between the Trump disorganized crime family and the Bidens. In trying to avoid doing so, I recognize I foolishly did so anyway. My concern about Hunter Biden is that his success was in part due to his name and who his father is. That foreign actors do try to leverage various prominent US figures for various purposes, many of which are less than scrupulous and may well be instigated by foreign intelligence services to gain leverage. I hope we can agree that this is something that happens in the real world and Bidens aren’t immune from those attempts. To that end, I think there is an argument to be made that Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma may have been one such attempt. I will drop further speculation about his resume. What I am not saying, in any way, shape or form, is that I believe there is any truth to this laptop bullshit that has literally been Trumped up to influence this election. What I am also not saying is that I believe that Joe Biden has done anything illegal or otherwise unscrupulous while in office as VP with regards to the events around Burisma. My only concern or, as I phrased it, “suspicion”, is that Joe Biden looked the other way when he perhaps should have told his son not to get involved in what, to me, looks like an attempt by foreign interests to buy influence or gather kompromat in order to get leverage on the second most powerful political figure in American government. I believe that was the only reason why Hunter Biden was offered a seat on the board of Burisma. That’s it. That’s the sum total of my argument. ---
**Author:** ![RyanAdam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@RyanAdam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyanAdam)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/221 "2020-10-25T12:48:55Z")
Glad I found this board again. (Funny how this thread ended up in a Google result) I think a lot of people have essentially no idea what a Board position is, pretty obvious posters like Quicksilver think it’s a post like a executive… seconding this comment: > [@OldOlds](#): > > And in my business, there are certain people who that others always want on board with a project (often, say, as part of an advisory board) because once so-and-so is involved, the project gains credibility. Even though often these folks will do little more than collect a consulting fee and show up at a few events I personally am on some boards, not for industry expertise, that’s the founders, but for niche expertise and yeah, connections relevant to my niche that can be of use to open door for first pitch. People work by relations, not abstractions. So this: > [@filmore](#): > > You pay $X/month for the privilege of having them answer the phone when you call and talk as much as you want. Some board members will be hired just for their industry experience, some just for their business experience, and some for both. > > A lot of the RW media is harping on his lack of experience in oil and gas, and even Trump did in the debate, but it’s not at all unusual for board members to have little or no experience in the industry the company is operating in. Someone with banking background may not get any questions about which oilfields to drill in, but such a person would get questions about how to obtain the funding needed to pay for the exploratory drilling. Really typical and matches Hunter well enough. Weird seeing this attack from right, it’s typical from the anticorporate left. > [@msmith537](#): > > I used to do digital forensics consulting for about 6 years. My specialty was more databases and ediscovery than validating where the files and emails came from, but I worked closely enough with those guys to understand what they can do (and this was like 10 years ago). > > Short answer is “pretty easy”. With industry standard digital forensics tools and proper chain of custody, an expert can easily determine where files originated, whether someone tried to delete or modify them, and other clues that would determine the validity of a file or email. Yeah, understand same from advisors in a litigation my company was tangentially involved in, and were concerned about. This whole laptop story points to a smelly set up. Giving it any time barring a good neutral forensics really requires setting aside critical thinking or being a total partisan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587.md?page=12)