Warner Says That Rebuilding Trust and Confidence in American Elections Begins With the Immediate Resignation of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken

​Charleston, W.Va. – The most vocal state election official critical of the federal government's role in misleading American voters to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election is now calling for the immediate resignation of U.S. Secretary of State Ant​ony Blinken.

“Actions have consequences. Using former federal employees of high-trust government positions in an attempt to influence the outcome of an election cannot be tolerated,” said Secretary Warner. “In order to have confidence in a trusted and fair 2024 presidential election, we must prove to the American public that those engaging in nefarious behavior will be punished, not promoted.”

On April 27th, West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration on restoring voter confidence in American elections. In his testimony, Warner outlined recently disclosed records concerning a highly improper coordinated effort​ between the Biden campaign and former intelligence officers of multiple federal agencies to influence the American people just before the 2020 presidential election by providing candidate Joe Biden talking points and “evidence” to push back against any attempt by President Trump to comment on the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.

Today, Congressman Jim Jordan released a 64-page report that verifies Secretary Warner's assertions about the improper role of those former federal intelligence agents, and in particular the role that current U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken played in developing the lie to the American people. The disinformation operation played a significant role in influencing voters’ opinions in the 2020 presidential election in favor of Biden.

In 2020, current U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was then a Senior Advisor to the Biden campaign when he sparked the disinformation creation by Michael Morell, former CIA Acting Director who was reportedly being considered for CIA Director if Biden won the election.[1] Recently released documents from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee shows that Blinken coordinated with former intelligence officials of multiple federal agencies, including the FBI and the CIA, to develop a disinformation strategy to discredit the allegations against the existence of Hunter Biden’s laptop.[2] Blinken, and those promoting the letter, suggested that the existence of Hunter Biden’s laptop was a Russian disinformation campaign.[3]

The Report provides, "[o]n November 3, 2020, the American people went to the polls to elect the president of the United States with the false impression that Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation. The American people cannot get back the 2020 election, but they have every right to demand reforms from Congress so that the 2024 election will not be similarly compromised. The United States is witnessing in real time the growth of a censorship industrial complex, in which partisan ‘experts’ -- like the former intelligence officials who signed the statement -- reserve for themselves the right to determine what is and is not true and what Americans can and cannot hear."[4]

According to Warner, the actions of the intelligence officials involved in the coordinated disinformation effort with the Biden campaign of 2020 have created a severe lack of confidence by voters in their federal government. Warner states that the best way to begin to rebuild that confidence is for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to acknowledge his role in the matter and to resign immediately.

"The American voters need to know that a number of current and former officials with federal agencies created to protect our country from foreign and domestic enemies took part in an effort to influence a presidential election," Warner said. "Congressional investigations now show that not only is the Hunter Biden laptop real, but current high-ranking members of the Biden administration took part in the cover up in support of the Biden campaign in the 2020 election. Blinken's dishonesty and collusion with former intelligence officials to perpetrate a fraud on the American people is a betrayal to this country. His actions at that time should disqualify him from serving in any official capacity now. He should resign, and if he doesn't do so on his own, he should be impeached," Warner said.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary’s report also provides "[t]he American people deserve to know that Hunter Biden’s laptop and emails were real. They always were real. The allegations that they were the product of Russian disinformation were false."[5]

"Voters expect their federal government, particularly their intelligence agencies, to remain free of partisan political activity designed to pick the winners in any election," Warner said. "Improper manipulation of elections is criminal and destroys the credibility of our constitutional republic. Congress must continue getting to the bottom of this and enact measures to make sure that weaponization of our federal government never happens again."

Secretary of State Mac Warner has served as West Virginia's chief elections official since 2017. Warner is a constitutional attorney and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in the U.S. Army for 23 years and then in Afghanistan for five years. Under his leadership, West Virginia has been a leader in election cybersecurity, voter list maintenance, voter registration, and voter confidence in the election process.

Citations:

[1] U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Interim Jo​int Staff Report, THE HUNTER BIDEN STATEMENT: HOW SENIOR INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY OFFICIALS AND THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN WORKED TO MISLEAD AMERICAN VOTERS, page 3 (May 10, 2023).
[2] Id. at 2-3.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Id. at 64.
[5] ​Id. at 62.