Analysis
The saga of Hunter Biden’s laptop is less than a week old, but it’s already had more twists and turns than a six-season HBO drama.
From being a plant by Russian intelligence, to leaked loving texts, to big tech censorship, whether the claims are true, the story has no doubt been gripping.
One of the most implausible claims—dropped via right-wing conspiracy theorists—is that the laptop contained some evidence of pedophilia by Biden.
If you’ve been following the discourse over the past few years, you knew accusations of pedophilia are red meat to the far-right. Fringe conservatives are primed to suck up this story, given their obsession with the false accusation that prominent Democrats were engaged in Satanic rituals.
The source of the conspiracy, Wayne Allyn Root, wouldn’t reveal who told him of this “blockbuster” claim. But given that only one person had access to this laptop, it’s not hard to guess who it may have been.
Now, President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has come out to “confirm” the salacious gossip with evidence that’s thin as a sheet of paper.
On the far-right news site NewsMax, Giuliani literally held up a piece of paper that he claims shows Biden texted his dad about how he supposedly FaceTimed with a 14-year-old girl while naked and smoking crack.
Here’s the screenshot Giuliani provided to Newsmax.
The names are redacted, so all we have to go on is Giuliani’s word that Biden was sexually inappropriate with a “14-year-old girl.”
The text, which may not be real, says: “She told my therapist I was sexually inappropriate with [REDACTED].” The text also says the sender will walk around naked, smoking crack, and talking to girls—but doesn’t mention any ages.
Giuliani alleges that he turned over the laptop to Delaware police given its contents, which he says also contains photos of Biden with underage girls. The Delaware Department of Justice said that it’s deferring to the FBI due to concerns about the credibility of the computer.
