Public statement on the Hunter Biden emails

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In October 2020, a controversy emerged involving data from a laptop that belonged to Hunter Biden that was abandoned at a computer shop in 2019. On October 19, 2020, a group of 51 former senior intelligence officials, who had served in four different administrations, including the Trump administration, released an open letter stating that the release of the alleged emails by The New York Post "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation".

Three days prior to the letter's release, Rep. Adam Schiff stated in an interview with CNN, "Well we know that this whole smear on Joe Biden comes from the Kremlin... Clearly, the origins of this whole smear are from the Kremlin, and the president is only too happy to have Kremlin help and try to amplify it". During an interview with Fox News on October 19, 2020, Trump's National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe clarified the officials' statement, saying "there is no intelligence that supports that", and accused Schiff of mischaracterizing the views of the intelligence community by describing the alleged emails as part of a smear campaign against Joe Biden. Schiff's spokesman accused Ratcliffe of "purposefully misrepresenting" Schiff's words.

Further dispute over the interpretation of the letter arose when, on the day of its release, Politico published a story with the misleading headline, "Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say," though the body of the story did not support that wording. Instead, the story's lede accurately quoted the letter's words: "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation". During the second 2020 presidential debate held on October 22, 2020, Joe Biden repeated the article's misleading claim in stating, "Look, there are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he’s accusing me of is a Russian plan". He would later repeat the claim in a 60 Minutes interview held on October 25, 2020.

Many Republicans and their allies have since cited the Politico headline to insist the intelligence community had lied for the benefit of Joe Biden in the election weeks later and The Wall Street Journal noted in 2022 how failure on the part of several media outlets to thoroughly investigate the Biden campaign's claims played a role in shaping public perception prior to the election. On February 13, 2023, The Washington Post fact-checker wrote that the Politico headline "likely shaped perceptions of the letter that continue to this day." Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper asserted the letter's message had been distorted, saying "all we were doing was raising a yellow flag that this could be Russian disinformation. Politico deliberately distorted what we said. It was clear in paragraph five." Another signer, longtime State Department and intelligence official Thomas Fingar remarked, "No one who has spent time in Washington should be surprised that journalists and politicians willfully or unintentionally misconstrue oral or written statements." Despite the criticism, Politico stood by the story.

On June 25, 2024, a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee led by Jim Jordan released a report titled "The Intelligence Community 51: How CIA Contractors Colluded with The Biden Campaign to Mislead American Voters", which states that high ranking officials in the CIA "were made aware of the 'Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails' by 51 former intelligence officials prior to its approval and publication", and provides evidence that some of the letter's stated "former intelligence" signatories were working as paid contractors for the CIA at the time of its publishing.

Signatories

Name	Agency	Positions held	Current position
Jim Clapper	DNI	Director of National Intelligence (2010–2017) Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency	CNN National Security Analyst
Michael Hayden	CIA	Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2006-2009)	George Mason University Visiting Professor
Leon Panetta	CIA	Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2009–2011) Secretary of Defense
John Brennan	CIA	Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2013–2017) White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Director, Terrorism Threat Integration Center Analyst and Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency	NBC News and MSNBC National Security Analyst
Thomas Fingar	DNI	Chair, National Intelligence Council (2005–2008) Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research, Department of State	Stanford University, Payne Distinguished Lecturer National Committee on United States–China Relations, Board of Directors
Rick Ledgett	NSA	Deputy Director of the National Security Agency (2014–2017)	M&T Bank, Board of Directors,
John McLaughlin	CIA	Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2004) Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Director of Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency Director, Slavic and Eurasian Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency	Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence
Michael Morell	CIA	Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2012–2013) Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Director of Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency	Beacon Global Strategies Senior Counselor
Mike Vickers	DoD	Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (2011–2015) Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency	BAE Systems Board of Directors
Doug Wise	DIA	Deputy Director Defense Intelligence Agency Senior CIA Operations Officer
Nick Rasmussen	DNI	Director, National Counterterrorism Center (2014–2017)
Russ Travers	DNI	Acting Director, National Counterterrorism Center (2018–2020) Deputy Director, National Counterterrorism Center Analyst of the Soviet Union and Russia, Defense Intelligence Agency	Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
Andy Liepman	DNI	Deputy Director, National Counterterrorism Center Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency	RAND Corporation, Senior Policy Analyst
John Moseman	CIA	Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency Director of Congressional Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency Minority Staff Director, United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Larry Pfeiffer	CIA	Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency Director, White House Situation Room	Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security, George Mason University, Director
Jeremy Bash	CIA	Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency Chief of Staff, Department of Defense Chief Counsel, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence	Beacon Global Strategies, Managing Director
Rodney Snyder	CIA	Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency Director of Intelligence Programs, National Security Council Chief of Station, Central Intelligence Agency
Glenn Gerstell	NSA	General Counsel, National Security Agency	Beacon Global Strategies
David B. Buckley	CIA	Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency Democratic Staff Director, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Counterespionage Case Officer, United States Air Force	United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, Staff Director
Nada Bakos	CIA	Analyst and Targeting Officer, Central Intelligence Agency	Foreign Policy Research Institute, Senior Fellow
Patty Brandmaier	CIA	Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director of Congressional Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency
James B. Bruce	CIA	Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Senior Intelligence Officer, National Intelligence Council	RAND Corporation, Adjunct Researcher
David Cariens	CIA	Intelligence Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency
Janice Cariens	CIA	Operational Support Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
Paul Kolbe	CIA	Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Chief, Central Eurasia Division, Central Intelligence Agency	Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Senior Fellow
Peter Corsell	CIA	Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency	I Squared Capital, Partner
Brett Davis	CIA	Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director of the Special Activities Center for Expeditionary Operations, CIA	New North Ventures, Partner
Roger Zane George	CIA	National Intelligence Officer	Occidental College, Professor
Steven L. Hall	CIA	Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Chief of Russian Operations, Central Intelligence Agency	CNN contributor
Kent Harrington	CIA	National Intelligence Officer for East Asia, Central Intelligence Agency Director of Public Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency Chief of Station, Central Intelligence Agency Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency
Don Hepburn	CIA	Senior National Security Executive	Boanerges Solutions, President
Timothy D. Kilbourn	CIA	Dean, Sherman Kent School of Intelligence Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency PDB Briefer to President George W. Bush, Central Intelligence Agency
Ron Marks	CIA	Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Twice former staff of the Republican Majority Leader	George Mason University, Visiting Professor
Jonna Hiestand Mendez	CIA	Technical Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
Emile Nakhleh	CIA	Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program, Central Intelligence Agency Senior Intelligence Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency	University of New Mexico, Director of National Security Programs
Gerald A. O'Shea	CIA	Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Served four tours as Chief of Station, Central Intelligence Agency
David Priess	CIA	Analyst and Manager, Central Intelligence Agency PDB Briefer, Central Intelligence Agency	Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security, George Mason University, Senior Fellow
Pam Purcilly	CIA	Deputy Director of Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency Director of the Office of Russian and European Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency PDB Briefer to President George W. Bush, Central Intelligence Agency
Marc Polymeropoulos	CIA	Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Acting Chief of Operations for Europe and Eurasia, Central Intelligence Agency	Atlantic Council, Nonresident Senior Fellow
Chris Savos	CIA	Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Officer
Nick Shapiro	CIA	Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director, Central Intelligence Agency	Tulane University
John Sipher	CIA	Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Chief of Russian Operations, Central Intelligence Agency	Atlantic Council, Nonresident Senior Fellow
Stephen Slick	CIA	Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, National Security Council Senior Operations Office, Central Intelligence Agency	University of Texas at Austin, Director of Intelligence Studies Project
Cynthia Strand	CIA	Deputy Assistant Director for Global Issues, Central Intelligence Agency
Greg Tarbell	CIA	Deputy Executive Director, Central Intelligence Agency Analyst of the Soviet Union and Russia, Central Intelligence Agency
David Terry	CIA	Chairman of the National Intelligence Collection Board Chief of the PDB, Central Intelligence Agency PDB Briefer to Vice President Dick Cheney, Central Intelligence Agency
Greg Treverton	DNI	Chair, National Intelligence Council	University of Southern California, Professor
John Tullius	CIA	Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency	Naval Postgraduate School, National Intelligence Chair
David A. Vanell	CIA	Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
Winston Wiley	CIA	Director of Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency Chief, Counterterrorism Center, Central Intelligence Agency
Kristin Wood	CIA	Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency PDB Briefer, Central Intelligence Agency	Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Non-Resident Fellow

In addition, nine additional former IC officers who cannot be named publicly also supported the arguments in this letter.

References

Herridge, Catherine; Kates, Graham (November 21, 2022). "Copy of what's believed to be Hunter Biden's laptop data turned over by repair shop to FBI showed no tampering, analysis says". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
Dilanian, Ken (October 19, 2020). "Ratcliffe says no proof, but FBI probing foreign tie to "Biden" laptop". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
Swanson, Ian (October 19, 2020). "Ratcliffe, Schiff battle over Biden emails, politicized intelligence". The Hill. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
Bertrand, Natasha (October 19, 2020). "Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say". Politico.
"CPD: October 22, 2020 Debate Transcript". www.debates.org. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
O'Donnell, Norah (October 26, 2020). Joe Biden: The 60 Minutes 2020 Election Interview (Television production). Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via YouTube.
"Hunter Biden's Laptop Is Finally News Fit to Print". The Wall Street Journal. March 18, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
Kessler, Glenn (February 13, 2023). "The Hunter Biden laptop and claims of 'Russian disinfo'". The Washington Post.
"Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails". via Politico. October 19, 2020. We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails, provided to the New York Post by President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement -- just that our experience makes us deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case.
"New Information Shows CIA Contractors Colluded with the Biden Campaign to Discredit Hunter Biden Laptop Story". The Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence. June 25, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
"Andrew Liepman – Foreign Policy". April 18, 2013.
"Beacon Global Strategies". September 16, 2022.
"Staff director for 1/6 committee accused of retaliating against whistleblower | CNN Politics". CNN. July 24, 2021.
"Nada Bakos - Foreign Policy Research Institute".
"James B. Bruce - Publications".
"Paul Kolbe". September 20, 2023.
"Brett Davis".
"Emile Nakhleh".
"David Priess | Lawfare".
"Marc Polymeropoulos".
"Nick Shapiro". July 17, 2023.
"John Sipher".
"John D. Tullius".
"Kristin Wood". July 5, 2023.

External links

The original story published in the Politico

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