Days earlier, the new Twitter boss Elon Musk (51) made a major revelation about the so-called Twitter files. “What actually happened to the Twitter suppressed Hunter Biden story will be published on Twitter,” Musk announced in early December. The focus was on an article in the New York Post about leaked computer files from Hunter Biden (52), the son of US President Joe Biden (80).
Because the origin of the information about this story was initially unclear and because there were fears of possible Russian propaganda, Twitter decided to block the article at the time.
Musk announced the big reveal last Friday. Internal documents show that the US government has ordered Twitter to block the article.
On behalf of Tesla boss Musk, journalist Matt Taibbi (52) has now published the main findings about the Hunter data breach – including screenshots from internal emails, messages from politicians and comments from the former moderation team. They show a different picture.
But what exactly is behind Musk’s latest accusations? Blick provides the most important answers.
What is Hunter Biden accused of?
The story began in October 2020. In the middle of the presidential campaign, the New York Post published an article about Hunter Biden’s controversial business ties to Ukraine. The source of the information is believed to have been Hunter Biden’s laptop, which he left behind during repairs and which would have ended up in the NYP’s editorial office.
Hunter’s activities in Ukraine in particular raised questions: Hunter Biden held a lucrative position on the board of directors of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma between 2014 and 2019, while his father Joe Biden was at the same time the US vice president responsible for Ukraine . And: Biden junior would have specifically influenced Ukrainian businessmen, as the leaked emails would show. In addition, the lawyer would have had difficulty explaining himself because of a video showing sex and drug use.
Why is Hunter Biden always in the spotlight?
Biden’s son Hunter’s foreign dealings had made headlines in the past and provided Republicans with political attacks on Democrat Joe Biden. During the 2020 election campaign, the Trump campaign had already set a goal of using the Hunter Biden scandal to weaken Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
However, a Republican-led inquiry in the Senate found no evidence of wrongdoing by the elder Biden on the matter while he was vice president.
House Republicans, who tweeted tribute to Musk in October, plan to launch an investigation into Hunter Biden’s actions. This will happen next month when the House of Representatives is taken over.
Hunter Biden, who is still the subject of a Justice Department criminal investigation, has so far denied any wrongdoing.
How dangerous can that be for Joe Biden?
It is unclear whether and to what extent the story will have a negative impact on US President Joe Biden. As various international media write, the “Twitter Files” did not really reveal anything new. “There is no evidence – that I have seen – of government involvement in the laptop story,” journalist Taibbi wrote.
According to the American tech site Wired, this is only fodder for further conspiracy theories. Elon Musk had already attracted attention in the past with the spread of conspiracy theories.
What was the reaction to Musk’s revelation?
The newly leaked information caused an uproar among some right-wing commentators. Others, however, had hoped for more. Even a columnist for the “NYP” got straight to the point: it’s “not the smoking gun you hoped for,” she says.
However, Twitter boss Musk has already announced more publications.