Hunter Biden downloaded SIXTEEN private messaging apps including drug dealers’ favorite Wickr
- Report claims Hunter Biden used 16 private messaging apps, including Wickr
- The encrypted app was deleted from his iPhone in backup stored on laptop
- It’s unclear what he may have used the app for or discussed on it
Hunter Biden downloaded sixteen private messaging apps prior to 2019, many of which utilized encryption, according to a new report.
The apps included Signal, Chinese messaging app WeChat, and Wickr, an encrypted app once favored in the criminal underworld, according to a New York Post report on Saturday citing an analysis of Hunter’s abandoned laptop by the activist group Marco Polo.
The Wickr app did not appear on the iPhone backup included in the laptop, but had previously downloaded onto the phone from iCloud, suggesting it had been installed and then deleted, a person familiar with the analysis told the Post.
There’s no evidence of what Hunter Biden discussed on the app or with whom, but the person speculated that it could contain conversations pertaining to his father, President Joe Biden.
Since the laptop first emerged in December 2019, Republicans have scoured it for any clues that could implicate the elder Biden in unsavory dealings.
Hunter Biden, seen in a picture from his abandoned laptop, downloaded sixteen private messaging apps prior to 2019, many of which utilized encryption, according to a new report
The apps included Signal, Chinese messaging app WeChat, and Wickr (above), an encrypted app once favored in the criminal underworld
Though Wickr has often been mentioned in court documents related to drug dealing cases and other criminal activity, it also has many legitimate users.
The encrypted app initially targeted corporate users who sought protection from hackers, and has contracted with the US military.
Amazon acquired Wickr in 2021, and is in the process of phasing out the consumer application, known as ‘Wickr Me,’ with a pivot to focus on enterprise accounts.
Hunter Biden has been the center of controversy for years, with issues arising over his business connections in Ukraine and China, and his former addiction to crack cocaine.
On Wednesday, his planned plea deal to resolve tax evasion charges sensationally unraveled, when a federal judge raised questions about the broad terms of the agreement.
Prosecutors said Wednesday Hunter Biden remains under active investigation, but would not reveal details.
Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018 and had been expected to plead guilty in exchange for two years of probation.
Though Wickr has often been mentioned in court cases related to drug dealing and other criminal activity, it also has many legitimate users, including the military (stock images)
Republican critics had slammed the plea agreement as a ‘sweetheart’ deal, and their criticism was only bolstered by concerns raised in court.
US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised multiple concerns about the specifics of the deal and her role in the proceedings.
The plan also included an agreement on a separate gun charge. Biden has been accused of possessing a firearm in 2018 as a drug user.
As long as he adhered to the terms of his agreement, the gun case was to be wiped from his record. Otherwise, the felony charge carries 10 years in prison.
The overlapping agreements created confusion for the judge, who said the lawyers needed to untangle technical issues – including over her role in enforcing the gun agreement – before moving forward.
‘It seems to me like you are saying `just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honor.’ … This seems to me to be form over substance,’ she said.
She asked defense lawyers and prosecutors to explain why she should accept the deal.
In the meantime, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the tax charges.
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