Kathmandu— US journalist Tucker Carlson has stated that people connected to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached him with material allegedly originating from Hunter Biden’s laptop in the lead-up to the 2020 US presidential election. The laptop became a point of contention after the New York Post published reports suggesting potential influence peddling by the Biden family, claims which were initially met with skepticism and accusations of Russian disinformation by several major US media outlets. Carlson made these remarks during an interview with RT’s Rick Sanchez, detailing how he sent a producer to meet with a contact linked to Netanyahu who claimed to possess information from the device.

Initial Claims and Laptop's Emergence

The controversy surrounding Hunter Biden’s laptop surfaced weeks before the 2020 election when the New York Post published materials purportedly obtained from it. These materials sparked allegations of influence peddling involving Joe Biden and his son, quickly becoming a central issue in the presidential campaign. At the time, numerous US media organizations questioned the authenticity of the information, with dozens of former intelligence officials suggesting the story resembled a Russian disinformation operation.

Carlson's Account of Israeli Contact

Speaking to Rick Sanchez, Carlson explained that while at Fox News, he was contacted by individuals connected to Netanyahu. “People connected to Netanyahu came to us,” he said, claiming they possessed information from Hunter Biden’s laptop and were actively pushing the allegations. He suggested the material had been circulating before it surfaced at a Delaware computer repair shop, speculating it may have originated from cloud storage. When asked about the original source of the data, Carlson stated he did not know, adding, “Some people claim it was the Russian security services that did that. Maybe. I have no idea.”

Motives and Allegations of Interference

Carlson posited that Netanyahu may have had a motive to see Donald Trump re-elected, citing the close relationship between the two leaders. He characterized the episode as potential Israeli interference in US politics. The laptop scandal initially broke in October 2020 when a Delaware computer repair technician released copies of a hard drive containing emails suggesting foreign influence peddling by the Biden family.

Media Response and Subsequent Confirmation

Following the initial reports, several major US news organizations published analyses questioning the authenticity of the story. CNN ran an analysis titled ‘The anatomy of the New York Post’s dubious Hunter Biden story,’ while Politico reported on a letter signed by 51 intelligence officials claiming the story was Russian disinformation. The Washington Post and New York Times also published pieces downplaying the scandal, and NPR initially refused to cover it altogether. However, after the election, major US news organizations – including the NYT and WaPo – eventually confirmed the authenticity of significant amounts of data from the laptop, reversing their earlier dismissive stances.

The claims made by Tucker Carlson regarding Israeli involvement in disseminating information about Hunter Biden’s laptop continue to draw attention as scrutiny over the handling of the story during the 2020 election persists.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.