Ex-Twitter Lawyer Says He Urged Caution In Handling Hunter Biden Laptop Story, But The Twitter Files Show Otherwise
Katelynn Richardson on February 8, 2023
During his testimony at the House Oversight Committee’s Wednesday hearing on Twitter, former Twitter Deputy General Counsel and ex-FBI lawyer James Baker claimed he “urged caution” in regards to the Hunter Biden laptop story, citing the documents publicly disclosed in the Twitter Files as support.
Yet the Twitter Files reveal Baker’s insistence that the October 2020 New York Post story was a violation of Twitter policy, author and independent journalist Michael Shellenberger noted. Baker’s “caution” was exercised on the side of censorship, stating that it remained “reasonable” to assume the Biden laptop materials might have been hacked, even if more facts were needed for a definitive answer, according to a Google Doc obtained by Shellenberger.
“I’ve seen some reliable cybersecurity folks question the authenticity of the emails in another way (i.e., that there is no metadata pertaining to them that has been released and the formatting looks like they could be complete fabrications),” Baker wrote in an Oct. 14 email.
Baker also denied knowing about the FBI’s possession of the Hunter Biden laptop.
“Mr. Baker, were you aware that the FBI had Hunter Biden’s laptop since December of 2019?” Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer asked.
“Then? No, I don’t believe, Sir, to the best of my recollection,” Baker said.
Baker, who played a significant role in the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation prior to his resignation from the bureau in 2018 and came under Department of Justice investigation for allegedly leaking information to the media in 2019, was fired from Twitter in December for possibly holding back documents relating to the company’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
“In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today,” CEO Elon Musk tweeted in December.
Responding to questions from Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Baker also denied communicating with the FBI about the laptop story.
“Did you talk to the FBI about the Hunter Biden laptop story prior to that day or after that day?” asked Jordan.
“Sitting here today, I don’t recall speaking to the FBI at all about the Hunter Biden matter,” Baker said.
Baker could not be reached for comment.
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