The disinformation campaign against Hunter Biden might have started earlier than previously known. A former KGB agent, named “Rollie,” reportedly handed a thumb drive containing unverified allegations about Biden Jr. to an aide of then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a Beverly Hills event in 2019.
What Happened: The thumb drive was provided to Pompeo’s aide at the Claremont Institute’s 40th-anniversary gala on May 11, 2019, reported Business Insider in an exclusive on Thursday, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the incident.
The thumb drive contained allegations about Hunter Biden’s work with Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. Rollie, a citizen of an Eastern European country, and a former KGB agent, has been identified as the individual who provided the thumb drive.
Rollie’s actions are part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at influencing the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The materials on the thumb drive were similar to those presented by Rollie in a briefing to Justice Department officials in Los Angeles in January 2019.
See Also: Edward Snowden Tells World Leaders: ‘You Can’t Save Navalny. You Can Still Save Assange’
Rollie’s presentation is the earliest known instance of Burisma-related disinformation of foreign origin being taken seriously by members of the U.S. intelligence community. This raises questions about the ease with which foreign actors can access the highest levels of the U.S. government and pass off false information as legitimate intelligence.
Why It Matters: The president’s son has been the subject of intense scrutiny, including allegations made by another former FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, who was charged with fabricating a bribery scheme involving the Biden family.
The allegations against Hunter Biden have been a focal point of controversy, with his legal team raising concerns about the potential influence of former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov on the case.
The legal team suggested that Smirnov’s false allegations may have tainted the case against Hunter Biden. Smirnov was charged with fabricating a bribery scheme involving the Biden family, a claim that the defense attorneys argue the prosecution followed “down his rabbit hole of lies.”
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