# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/61 "2020-10-23T19:47:53Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Do I think this is unique to Biden? Nope. I think Senators trading on their power is common, and one of the reasons Washington is a swamp. These are the guys that voted themselves the right to trade on inside knowledge and scew over other investors. Republicans and Democrats alike. That has not been shown yet, what has been shown is that you do not re-elect the big king Kamehameha of swamp monsters. ---
**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 23, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/62 "2020-10-23T19:52:41Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > 1. Was Hunter Biden engaged in influence peddling? I don’t know how anyone could think otherwise. The guy is a crackhead screwup, But somehow landed a $50,000+ per month board position on a corrupt Ukranian gas and oil firm despite knowing nothing about Oil, Gas, or the Ukraine, and a multi-million dollar payout from various sketchy Chinese firms with connections to the Chinese Communist Party. Hunter even admitted that he would not have gotten any of that if his last name wasn’t Biden. Hunter’s deal with Burisma raised flags with anti-corruption authorities around the world As did Biden bragging about getting the prosecutor looking into Burisma fired. > > 2. Was Joe Biden personally involved, and did he actually trade U.S. government favors to enrich his family? The jury is still out on that, but his demanding the firing of the Burisma prosecutor and his taking Hunter to China on Air Force Two immediately before the Chinese deals both look sketchy. At the very least, he allowed the perception that Hunter was wired into the administration. This seems factually correct and I agree it’s sketchy as fuck. At the very least this was an attempt by Burisma and associated players to buy access to the sitting VP. ---
**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 23, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/63 "2020-10-23T19:52:41Z")
In fairness, it could well be that 99% of the E-mails and other information are true, but that the drive is ‘salted’ with nuggets of disinformation. That’s how spooks do it. They aren’t going to fake gigabytes of pictures and other data. They’re going to hack or steal a real hard drive, then inject a few fake things that look real because everything else checks out. Trying to prove that there is no disinformation by checking random E-mails or photos is exactly what the spooks expect you to do. So the only way to ‘validate’ the salacious material that matters is to fact-check that material independently of any other fact checks - something that hasn’t really been done yet. Complicating this is that the drive is now in the hands of the cops due to suspected child porn being on it. That also may be why the FBI hasn’t disclosed anything - it may be part of an active investigation. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/64 "2020-10-23T19:54:59Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The jury is still out on that, but his demanding the firing of the Burisma prosecutor and his taking Hunter to China on Air Force Two immediately before the Chinese deals both look sketchy. It is not good to plant a debunked piece of information in middle of a post. > **[Explainer: Biden, allies pushed out Ukrainian prosecutor because he didn't...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/03/what-really-happened-when-biden-forced-out-ukraines-top-prosecutor/3785620002/)** > > Trump has claimed Biden forced out Ukraine's top prosecutor in order to benefit his son. Former diplomats say the prosecutor wasn't doing his job. > But sources ranging from former Obama administration officials to an anti-corruption advocate in Ukraine say the official, Viktor Shokin, was ousted for the opposite reason Trump and his allies claim. > > It wasn’t because Shokin was investigating a natural gas company tied to Biden’s son; it was because Shokin wasn’t pursuing corruption among the country’s politicians, according to a Ukrainian official and four former American officials who specialized in Ukraine and Europe. > Burisma Holdings was not under scrutiny at the time Joe Biden called for Shokin’s ouster, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, an independent agency set up in 2014 that has [worked closely with the FBI.](https://nabu.gov.ua/en/tags/fbi) > > Shokin’s office had investigated Burisma, but the probe focused on a period before Hunter Biden joined the company, according to the anti-corruption bureau. > > The investigation dealt with the Ministry of Ecology, which allegedly granted special permits to Burisma between 2010 and 2012, the agency said. Hunter Biden did not join the company until 2014. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/65 "2020-10-23T19:55:08Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > As did Biden bragging about getting the prosecutor looking into Burisma fired. This has been reported many, many times. The prosecutor that was fired was NOT looking into Burisma. He hadn’t been for years. In fact, his failure to investigate corruption was WHY the Obama administration wanted him fired. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Was Joe Biden personally involved, and did he actually trade U.S. government favors to enrich his family? The jury is still out on that, but his demanding the firing of the Burisma prosecutor The jury is not out. What favors? This is basically accusing him of working against the interests of the United States - accusations that I believe would require some sort of evidence. And as I pointed out, it was not the “Burisma prosecutor”. The prosecutor was not investigating Burisma when he was fired. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > taking Hunter to China on Air Force Two immediately before the Chinese deals So this is the corruption? Taking his son to China before his son was involved in a business deal with a Chinese Private Equity firm? A firm Joe Biden has no stake in, and never has had a stake in? I just want to make sure I understand what we’re talking about here. Children of Presidential candidates should not allow the appearance that the candidate supports the children’s business efforts, particularly if they are overseas? Because that is corrupt? Is that the claim? ---
**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 23, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/66 "2020-10-23T19:56:53Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > So this is the corruption? Taking his son to China before his son was involved in a business deal with a Chinese Private Equity firm? A firm Joe Biden has no stake in, and never has had a stake in? > > I just want to make sure I understand what we’re talking about here. Children of Presidential candidates should not allow the appearance that the candidate supports the children’s business efforts, particularly if they are overseas. Because that is corrupt. Correct. It’s corrupt when both sides do it. One does not exculpate the other. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/67 "2020-10-23T20:00:21Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Correct. It’s corrupt when both sides do it. One does not exculpate the other. OK, that’s fine, and I probably agree. I wish Presidents had to divest everything like Jimmy Carter did. But we probably won’t see a man like him as president for a long time. But that’s an _extremely_ far cry from “trading US government favors to enrich his family”. I see absolutely no evidence that happened at all. And I think you would agree it’s a bit rich for Donald Trump to accuse Joe Biden of that particular brand of corruption. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/68 "2020-10-23T20:04:24Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Correct. It’s corrupt when both sides do it. One does not exculpate the other. The way I see it, one then should vote for the candidate that does not get rid of rules that deal with that or other similar rules. Trump is on the side of the ones getting rid of rules so looking the other way will be easier. > **[Donald Trump lifts anti-corruption rules in 'gift to the American oil lobby'](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/14/donald-trump-anti-corruption-rules-dodd-frank-oil-companies)** > > Campaigners alarmed as president expunges element of Dodd-Frank Act that obliged energy companies to disclose payments to foreign governments IMHO, if elected, Biden will be the one that will bring back some needed rules and I can expect Republicans in congress to look for any corruption by the Democrats in the future. ---
**Author:** ![agzem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@agzem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agzem)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/69 "2020-10-23T20:06:35Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The prosecutor that was fired was NOT looking into Burisma. Actually there’s evidence that the fired prosecutor **WAS** looking into Burisma: "…Two months before he was fired, **Shokin had the house of Zlochevsky raided and confiscated.** Biden and Zlochevsky desperately wanted him out **not for incompetence** , as Biden claimed, but because of the **embarrassing details Shokin was discovering about Burisma’s bribery** and financial chicanery until Poroshenko ordered him to shut down the investigation. " > **[Biden's Ukrainegate Problem](https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/08/10/bidens-ukrainegate-problem/)** > > Joe Biden’s role in the Ukraine regime change, as Victoria Nuland put it, was to “midwife” the new government into existence and thereby incorporate another eastern European satellite into America’s orbit. This is what the neocons call “democracy... ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/70 "2020-10-23T20:08:50Z")
Trump accidently discovered that a fool can fool fools. He is just a con man. He fell back assward into the presidency that I don’t think he really wanted, and he now thinks he’s king. I think Trump knows that HE will have to answer for the mess he created for the first time in his life. Now the fools ‘leader’ is going to be the one that screws them over the worst. And thinking people are going to have to bail them out. Again. Trump is taking lessons from Kim Jong Un. He must stay in power to save his own skin. ---
**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 23, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/71 "2020-10-23T20:10:41Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > But that’s an _extremely_ far cry from “trading US government favors to enrich his family”. I see absolutely no evidence that happened at all. And I think you would agree it’s a bit rich for Donald Trump to accuse Joe Biden of that particular brand of corruption. > [@GIGObuster](#): > > IMHO, if elected, Biden will be the one that will bring back some needed rules and I can expect Republicans in congress to look for any corruption by the Democrats in the future. Oh, I’m not confused about which is the far better choice. There is no choice in my opinion. Biden is the only option if the point is to step away from the ledge. But this is some dirty business that Biden let his son drag him into and I don’t believe for a second that Joe didn’t play along with dangling the bait of “access”, even if he never intended to give it, just so his fuck-up of a son could experience some financial success while he could. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/72 "2020-10-23T20:14:45Z")
> [@agzem](#): > > "…Two months before he was fired, **Shokin had the house of Zlochevsky raided and confiscated.** > > Biden and Zlochevsky desperately wanted him out **not for incompetence** , as Biden claimed, but because of the **embarrassing details Shokin was discovering about Burisma’s bribery** and financial chicanery until Poroshenko ordered him to shut down the investigation. " Wow, the cite for this claim (for those that don’t want to hit the link) is a French documentary on YouTube. So it took a few steps to figure out why this account seems to have nothing in common with the traditional account (made harder because the Youtube video is a bit scattershot). It seems that the author is pretty well known for spreading Russian propaganda in France, so maybe that is part of it. I’m off to camp out so I’ll have to follow up on this next week. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/73 "2020-10-23T20:15:06Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > But this is some dirty business that Biden let his son drag him into and I don’t believe for a second that Joe didn’t play along with dangling the bait of “access”, even if he never intended to give it, just so his fuck-up of a son could experience some financial success while he could. Frankly, I think it’s a bunch of horseshit that someone in Trumps administration cooked up. That’s what they do. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/74 "2020-10-23T20:15:37Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Wow, the cite for this claim (for those that don’t want to hit the link) is a French documentary on YouTube. So it took a few steps to figure out why this account seems to have nothing in common with the traditional account (made harder because the Youtube video is a bit scattershot). > > It seems that the author is pretty well known for spreading Russian propaganda in France, so maybe that is part of it. I’m off to camp out so I’ll have to follow up on this next week. Indeed, others dealt with the nonsense already: > **[Republican Conspiracy Theory About a Biden Scandal in Ukraine Is "Absolute...](https://theintercept.com/2019/05/10/rumors-joe-biden-scandal-ukraine-absolute-nonsense-reformer-says/)** > > The rumor that Joe Biden abused his power to protect his son’s business interests in Ukraine is “absolute nonsense,” leading anti-corruption activist says. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/75 "2020-10-23T20:15:42Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > But this is some dirty business that Biden let his son drag him into and I don’t believe for a second that Joe didn’t play along with dangling the bait of “access”, even if he never intended to give it, just so his fuck-up of a son could experience some financial success while he could. This makes the most sense to me. Hunter Biden is a fuck-up crack-head and Joe thinks that bringing him to China, letting him play with the big boys, might get him on a better path. But, nah, it turns out that Hunter is still just a fuck-up. Fortunately the deals all fell through and Joe was smart enough to keep his distance, as far as we know to this point. ---
**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 23, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/76 "2020-10-23T20:17:55Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Frankly, I think it’s a bunch of horseshit that someone in Trumps administration cooked up. That’s what they do. I will be thrilled if this proves to be the case. But based on what we can reasonably conclude right now, that seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/77 "2020-10-23T20:19:00Z")
Same as with the Hillary hit jobs. “Well with this much dirt thrown at them, they _must_ be dirty.” ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/78 "2020-10-23T20:19:44Z")
I really don’t see what any of that is based on that is not intentional disinformation. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/79 "2020-10-23T20:21:43Z")
“Reasonably conclude” from a corrupt stupid conman? Come on QuickSilver. ---
**Author:** ![agzem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@agzem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agzem)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587/80 "2020-10-23T20:22:28Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Wow, the cite for this claim (for those that don’t want to hit the link) is a French documentary on YouTube I’m not sure where you are getting that Youtube source(??) Here’s another source: “…The movable and immovable property of former Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine **Mykola Zlochevsky** in Ukraine has been **seized** , according to the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (PGO).” > **[Court seizes property of ex-minister Zlochevsky in Ukraine](https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/322395.html)** > > The movable and immovable property of former Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine Mykola Zlochevsky in Ukraine has been seized, according to the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunter-biden-laptop-question/923587.md?page=5)