Yesterday, Matt Bernardini, a reporter with Intelligence Online—a front organization for French intelligence—contacted me via Signal, probing for a conversation on the Hunter Biden laptop. In our phone call, I laid out the extensive background of disinformation campaigns that have plagued the laptop issue, naming specific figures like Jack Maxey and Miles Guo, who have been tied to the spread of forgeries and misleading information about the HB laptop. Bernardini, however, ignored the verifiable facts, pressing to re-frame the laptop’s origins in a dubious light. This interaction underscores his apparent role in a larger, coordinated disinformation campaign to re-cast doubt and obscure the well-documented facts about the laptop’s origins.

By crafting a piece for The New Republic, Bernardini is not acting as a journalist; he is advancing an active measure on behalf of French intelligence and likely other interested US parties. His article aims to insinuate that the laptop might once again be connected to Russian disinformation—a false narrative previously weaponized by US intelligence figures to cloud the facts. This is not new; it echoes the infamous letter by 60 former and current intelligence officials who argued that the laptop was Russian disinformation. What’s different here is that Bernardini is taking it a step further by acting as a foreign agent, strategically working to advance France’s interests in shaping US political discourse ahead of an election.

One specific false claim by Bernardini is that he possesses communications from JP Mac Isaac’s father, allegedly suggesting doubts about the laptop’s source. When I asked him to share these communications, he refused. This is an unsubstantiated ploy to plant seeds of uncertainty. It mirrors the tactics of past disinformation efforts designed to distort public perception and sideline documented accounts of how the laptop came into JP Mac Isaac’s possession.

The facts regarding the HB Laptop are clear

1. JP Mac Isaac has provided a consistent account: JP has repeatedly and transparently documented how the laptop was delivered to his shop, detailing his verification process and interactions regarding it.

2. There hasn’t been any denial from Hunter Biden. Hunter hasn’t contested the specifics of the laptop’s delivery, an omission that strengthens JP’s straightforward account.

Implications for US Public Discourse and Election Interference
The timing and tactics of this operation reveal a brazen attempt by foreign intelligence to manipulate American public opinion and sow doubt in domestic narratives just as election day looms. By leveraging The New Republic—a prominent American news outlet—Bernardini’s article is cunningly positioned to gain unwarranted legitimacy, becoming a potent vehicle for disinformation. The narrative he’s peddling seeks to obscure French interference in US politics, masquerading as investigative journalism to evade scrutiny.

Bernardini has consistently exhibited a troubling pattern of deceit and obfuscation. He inflates his credentials with misleading claims, implying a professional history with The Washington Post while omitting the critical detail that he was merely an intern. This deliberate misrepresentation underscores his lack of integrity. When challenged to provide evidence of alleged communications involving JP Mac Isaac’s father, Bernardini conveniently deferred, claiming he needed to “check with his source.” This obvious stalling tactic was further unraveled when he privately admitted to Mac Isaac’s father that he never intended to produce the fabricated evidence he touted. Such maneuvers align seamlessly with classic disinformation strategies, designed to plant seeds of doubt while avoiding accountability.

Make no mistake: Bernardini is operating as a foreign agent, executing a calculated election interference campaign. His narratives—like the latest baseless Nazi accusations against President Trump—are deliberate distortions meant to warp the truth and manipulate public discourse.

Sources and references

Bernardini’s employer Intelligence Online, a front for French Intelligence

Matt Bernardini’s Profile: Matt Bernardini’s X account

Sample of Bernardini disinformation product: Article in The Guardian on Intelligence Online

My Signal exchange with Matt Bernardini:
Hi Yaacov, my name is Matt Bernardini and I am a journalist working on a story for the New Republic about the Hunter Biden laptop saga. I understand you’ve called out some people for manipulating the contents, and I wanted to ask you about this. Do you have time to chat?
1:36 PM

You accepted the message request

Unanswered voice call · 2:59 PM

Unanswered voice call · 2:59 PM
Call again

What’s a good number?
3:00 PM

Incoming voice call · 3:08 PM
Call back

Hi matt, why not add this graphic to the article? It helps explain the real problem behind the HB laptop.
4:31 PM

It was their opinion it had the hallmarks of disinformation. Not an investigation just their opinion
5:02 PM

Yeah, that’s BS. That’s not what they were saying in their little secret coordination meetings.
5:06 PM

Without getting into sources and methods, let’s just say that Morell and co. knew exactly what they were doing.
5:10 PM

How could you know exactly what they were doing? Are you saying you heard that?
5:18 PM

I don’t want to get into sources and methods, but you can take this to the bank.

BTW, weren’t you with WaPo at one point?
5:20 PM

I interned on the investigative team when I was there in grad school
5:21 PM

Should you update your profile?
5:21 PM

Why? That’s correct
5:22 PM

It looks like you worked in WaPo not only interned, and there is no mention of you working for the New Republic. Are you an FTE with the New Republic?
5:24 PM

I work at Intel Online. I freelance and I’m freelancing this for the New Republic
5:25 PM

Got it.
5:25 PM

Looks like Intel Online is a French operation…
5:28 PM

Any French ties/links/relationships in your office?
5:30 PM

What do you mean?
5:30 PM

Is Intel Online a French operation?
5:31 PM

Yea it’s based in France
5:33 PM

Got it. Are there any French nationals in the office, or do you deal with any as part of your work?
5:34 PM

What does that matter?
5:35 PM

It matters a lot because you are essentially acting as a foreign agent and are running a foreign influence operation a week before the elections. Are you a registered FARA agent?

A registered FARA agent is an individual or entity that is required to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA):

Who is a FARA agent?
A FARA agent is someone who represents a foreign entity in the United States by engaging in political or advocacy work, or by acting as a public relations counsel, publicity agent, or political consultant

What is required?
FARA agents must register with the DOJ and disclose their relationship with the foreign entity, their activities, and any related financial compensation

When to register?
FARA agents must register within 10 days of agreeing to act as an agent of a foreign principal

FARA was enacted in 1938 and applies broadly to anyone who acts on behalf of a foreign principal. However, there are broad registration exemptions and some ambiguities about the scope of the act’s requirements.

Can you please share the communications (both JP’s dad and uncle) you said you had, in which they said that it was unknown who dropped off the laptop at JP’s shop?
5:42 PM

Being called a foreign agent is definitely a new one. I’ll have to check with the source on sharing communications. Also I didn’t say it was unknown. The communications say it wasn’t Hunter
5:44 PM

You have to check with your source if you can share it? You already shared it when you told me about it. You also refused to share it with JP’s dad on the grounds that you didn’t want to expose your sources.
5:47 PM

Yes correct I don’t want to expose my sources
5:49 PM

Let me get it right: your article, written for a front company that is operated by French intelligence, is about to push disinformation about the origins of the Hunter Biden laptop. And predictably, it’ll lean on so-called ‘anonymous sources’ to prop up this baseless claim.
5:51 PM

I’m writing it for The New Republic as I said
5:54 PM

That is not what you said earlier. You said “I work at Intel Online. I freelance and I’m freelancing this for the New Republic”
5:56 PM

Yes that’s exactly correct
5:56 PM

As you are likely a paid foreign agent, I must report this conversation and your activity to the Bureau.
5:59 PM