Hunter Biden is scheduled to be deposed on Thursday in a defamation case brought by the Delaware computer repair shop owner who acquired the infamous laptop of the now-President’s son. John Paul Mac Isaac filed the lawsuit in October 2022 seeking $1.5 million in damages.
In April 2021, Biden espoused theories in the media saying that a laptop may have been stolen from him, saying:
There could be a laptop out there that was stolen from me. It could be that I was hacked. It could be that it was then — that it was Russian intelligence. It could be that it was stolen from me.
In 2020, Mac Isaac revealed that in April of the previous year, a customer he believed to be Hunter Biden dropped off three laptops, with only one being salvageable. Mac Isaac said that the customer didn’t return after 90 days, despite attempts to contact him. After Mac Isaac assumed ownership of the laptop, the FBI was contacted about the disturbing materials it contained.
Mac Isaac’s lawsuit reads:
As a direct and proximate result of the defamatory statements by HUNTER, [Mac Isaac] has suffered, and continues to suffer, substantial damages, including the loss of his business. HUNTER had actual knowledge of the falsity of the claims and understood the high probability that injury or damage would result to [Mac Isaac] and, despite such knowledge, made the false and defamatory statement and has issued no apology to [Mac Isaac] such as would repair that damage.
Initially, Mac Isaac’s lawsuit named defendants Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), CNN, the Daily Beast, and Politico. In October, Hunter Biden was added to the lawsuit. The Daily Beast was dropped as a party to the action after they issued an apology for referring to the laptop as “stolen.”
An editor’s note published in the news outlet in December 2020 reads:
An earlier version of this story mistakenly referred to Hunter Biden’s laptop as ‘stolen.’ We have removed that word, and we apologize to Mr. Mac Isaac for the error.
Hunter’s Counter-offensive
Days after Biden was served with the lawsuit, in late January, his attorney circulated letters calling for criminal investigations into Mac Isaac and others. A 14-page letter was sent to the Delaware District Attorney, along with letters sent to Justice Department’s National Security Division and the IRS. The letter to the DA read:
We believe that the facts and circumstances merit further investigation as to whether the conduct of Messrs. Mac Isaac, Costello, Giuliani, Bannon, Ziegler, Maxey, and Apelbaum violated several provisions of Delaware’s criminal code — including, but not necessarily limited to, computer-related property offenses … theft … possession of stolen property … and misapplication of another’s property … Each of these offenses, if violated, has the potential to be a felony, depending on the value of the property in question.
Brian Della Rocca, attorney for Mac Isaac, suggested it was a tactic to intimidate his client and that the timing raised concerns, saying:
He’s trying to intimidate. And it’s interesting to me that this happened when it did.
Biden filed a counter-suit in March, accusing Mac Isaac of six counts of invasion of privacy and illegally distributing his personal information. Biden’s claims appear to be a concession to the origins of the laptop, after previous denials. Biden’s lawsuit alleges:
This failed dirty political trick directly resulted in the exposure, exploitation, and manipulation of Mr. Biden’s private and personal information. Mr. Mac Isaac’s intentional, reckless, and unlawful conduct allowed for hundreds of gigabytes of Mr. Biden’s personal data, without any discretion, to be circulated around the Internet.
Whistleblower Testimony
An IRS whistleblower, Gary Shapley Jr., who was a supervisory special agent on the IRS investigation into Hunter Biden, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee regarding the laptop. Shapley revealed that investigators were aware in December 2019 that the laptop had not been manipulated and contained “reliable evidence.” However, they were obstructed from accessing all available information.
This occurred almost a year before Joe Biden, along with former intelligence community members, claimed that the laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign amid Joe Biden’s candidacy for the Presidency. Testimony given in Congress alleged that now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was working for the Biden campaign, orchestrated the letter from former intelligence officials discrediting the laptop.
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Shapley testified that throughout the investigation, decisions were made to benefit Hunter Biden as the subject of the probe. The investigation, codenamed “Sportsman,” was initiated in November 2018 as a result of an IRS inquiry into a foreign-based online pornography platform. No additional details were provided concerning the connection between the pornography outlet and Hunter Biden.
Where Is Justice?
Biden’s expected deposition comes soon after the controversial announcement of his sweetheart plea deal stemming from U.S. attorney for Delaware David Weiss’ years-long investigation into his taxes. Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor offenses related to his income taxes and won’t face prosecution on a federal felony firearm offense, entering a pretrial diversion agreement instead.
After filing the lawsuit, Mac Isaac said:
After fighting to reveal the truth, all I want now is for the rest of the country to know that there was a collective and orchestrated effort by social and mainstream media to block a real story with real consequences for the nation. This was collusion led by 51 former pillars in the intelligence community and backed by words and actions of a politically motivated DOJ and FBI. I want this lawsuit to reveal that collusion and more importantly, who gave the marching orders.
Hunter Biden is scheduled to appear in court to ink his federal plea bargain on July 26.
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