SO, NOT THE BLIND GUY:

The National Intelligence Council report does not expressly mention the Hunter Biden laptop story that hit the front page of the New York Post last October. But it does mention Andrii Derkach, the pro-Russian Ukrainian politician sanctioned by the U.S. State Department who was trafficking information remarkably similar to what showed up in the Post report. Derkach gave material to Rudy Giuliani, the New York mayor-turned-Trump lawyer. Versions of the story had been floating around since 2014. The story was dismissed by experts on Russian active measures tactics as an obvious ploy. 

"Derkach, [Konstantin V. Klimnik], and their associates sought to use prominent US persons and media conduits to launder their narratives to US officials and audiences," the report said. "These Russian proxies met with and provided materials to Trump administration-linked US persons to advocate for formal investigations: hired a U.S. firm to petition U.S. officials; and attempted to make contact with several senior U.S. officials. They also made contact with established U.S. media figures and helped produce a documentary that aired on a U.S. television network in late January 2020."

Russian active measures researcher Thomas Rid said in a tweet: "Overarching takeaway: Russian intelligence actors and proxies were far more prolific, more aggressive, and more risk-taking in the 2020 election cycle than many assumed, myself included. They were also more covert and more disciplined than in 2016. Expect more."

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