'Sounds fishy': Internet suspicious as former Donald Trump aide asks judge to dismiss 'half-baked' Hunter Biden laptop civil case

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a legal tug-of-war that continues to garner attention, Garrett Ziegler, a former policy analyst for ex-president Donald Trump, has taken steps to dismiss the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) lawsuit lodged against him by Hunter Biden.

Filed in a California federal court, the lawsuit paints Ziegler as a "zealot" with a "right-wing agenda," suggesting he was determined to reveal the contents of the controversial "Biden laptop" even if it meant delving into potentially murky legal territory.

Represented by attorney Robert H Tyler, Ziegler, and his legal team assert that Hunter Biden's lawsuit should be summarily dismissed on several grounds, prominently arguing that it constitutes a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP).

According to Ziegler's defense, the lawsuit is an attempt to suppress "protected activity" related to public issues, such as speech or non-speech conduct connected with a matter of public interest.

Garrett Ziegler's counterclaims

The motion to dismiss portrays Hunter Biden's legal action as a retaliatory measure against Ziegler for his involvement in disseminating information originating from the contentious "Biden laptop."

The lawsuit alleges that Hunter Biden abandoned the laptop at a Delaware repair shop, which subsequently turned it over to the FBI, triggering a media frenzy surrounding potential foreign compromise involving Hunter and President Joe Biden.

Ziegler's lawyer contends that the lawsuit fails on multiple fronts, including Hunter Biden's inability to establish a valid claim under the CFAA, lack of standing to sue, and the overarching characterization of the lawsuit as a SLAPP action. The motion emphasizes that Hunter Biden cannot demonstrate meritorious claims against Ziegler.

Delving into the background of the dispute, Ziegler recalls his visit to Delaware laptop repairman John Paul Mac Isaac's establishment in April 2019. Ziegler aimed to copy files from the contentious "Biden Laptop" during this visit. However, Mac Isaac, during the copying process, stumbled upon what he deemed as alarming evidence on Hunter Biden's computer.

Subsequently, Mac Isaac reported his findings to the FBI, leading to a Grand Jury Subpoena being served on December 9, 2019.

The motion states, "The FBI served Mac Isaac on December 9, 2019, with a Grand Jury Subpoena that electronics remain in possession of the FBI, who analyzed the electronics as part of a criminal investigation that was included in the Congressional testimony of IRS Criminal Supervisory Special Agent Gary A Shapley, Jr."

The information found on the "Biden Laptop" is now reportedly relevant in a criminal case involving alleged tax crimes by Hunter Biden, currently pending before the court.

Transmission of laptop data

The narrative further unfolds as the FBI seized both the laptop and an external hard drive during its investigation.

In an intriguing turn of events, Mac Isaac sent "a copy of the laptop data" to Rudy Giuliani's then-attorney Robert Costello in late August 2020. This transmission eventually led to the publication of a story by the New York Post just one month before the 2020 election.

In May, Hunter Biden countersued Mac Isaac, accusing the laptop repairman of privacy violations through the "knowing and intentional distribution of Mr Biden’s personal and sensitive data."

Hunter Biden alleged that the distribution aimed to expose his data to individuals who would intend to create embarrassment and harm, ostensibly to "assist then-President Trump" in his reelection campaign.

Biden claimed that Giuliani and Bernard Kerik provided Ziegler with a copy of the data, comprising over 120,000 emails, photos, and other files, which were subsequently uploaded to the website Marco Polo.

Ziegler vehemently denies any hacking allegations, stating, "Plaintiff selectively cites Defendant Ziegler’s December 2022 remarks about decrypting a specific file which stored the passcode to the iPhone backup file, both of which were on Defendants’ copy of the Laptop. The Complaint falsely suggests Defendants ‘hacked’ into Plaintiff’s iPhone backup."

According to the motion to dismiss, Ziegler and his associates received a copy of Hunter Biden's iPhone backup file, which was part of the files obtained from the external hard drive. The passcodes included in the files allowed access to the iPhone backup file.

In defending against Hunter Biden's lawsuit, Ziegler argues that it is an impermissible SLAPP action designed to "punish" him for participating in "protected activity" surrounding a matter of significant public interest — the actions of the president's son, a public figure, Law&Crime reported.

Social media commentary

The legal entanglement has triggered a wave of reactions on social media.

"Sounds fishy," one posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"Is that right?" another commented.

"Only thing half-baked is Hunter," someone else quipped.

"Interesting," another added.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.