Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York denounced a group of intelligence officials who signed a letter on the eve of the 2020 election that sought to discredit reporting about Hunter Biden’s laptop.
“All 51 should be charged with knowingly coercing a false statement,” Tenney said in a post on X-Sunday. “See 18 U.S. Code, Section 1001. It is a felony to make a ‘false statement’ to an agent of the federal government in connection with a federal matter.”
The “51” in Tenney’s post were a reference to 51 former top intelligence officials who signed a letter that the New York Post reported just weeks before the 2020 election alleging that the laptop had all the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign, and that was later used by President Biden to dismiss concerns about the laptop during a debate with former President Trump. The laptop was later revealed to be authentic and was introduced as evidence in Hunter Biden’s federal firearms trial.
Former intelligence official signs ‘patriotic’ letter against Hunter Biden’s laptop: ‘woefully ignorant’
President Biden’s son Hunter Biden (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Following that trial, Fox News Digital reached out to all 51 people who signed the October 2020 letter to ask if they regretted signing it after it was revealed to be genuine.
“No,” said James Clapper, former director of national intelligence in the Obama administration.
“This is very old news,” signatory Greg Treverton, a former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, told Fox News Digital. “What we said is true. We made an educated guess and it certainly looked like a Russian operation. Of course, I cannot and cannot say it was a Russian operation. I have nothing more to say.”
Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York (Ting Sheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, lawyers for signatories Ronald Marks, Mark Polymeropoulos, Douglas Wise, Paul Kolbe, John Cypher, Emile Nakhreh and Gerald O’Shea provided a statement to Fox News Digital claiming that signing the letter was a “patriotic” act by their clients.
“A careful and objective reading of this document reveals that its contents remain accurate today,” said attorney Mark S. Zaid. “This document is nothing more than a warning to what we have known for decades: that certain foreign governments, including Russia, continue to actively seek to interfere in our internal affairs, and we must remain vigilant. Any patriotic American should have signed this document.”
Then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (Joe Raedl/Getty Images)
Tenney, however, took a different view, arguing that the 51 should be charged under 18 U.S. Code Section 1001, which says that anyone who, “within the executive, legislative, or judicial jurisdiction of the Government of the United States,” by any artifice, scheme, or means, falsifies, conceals, or obscures a material fact, or who “makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation,” or “makes or uses any false document or instrument, knowing that it contains a materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or statement,” may be fined or imprisoned for up to five years.
Tenney’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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The full list of signatories is below: Former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper, former Chairman of the National Intelligence Council Thomas Finger, former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency Rick Leggett, former Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell, former Under Secretary of Defense Mike Vickers, former Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Doug Wise, former Director of the National Terrorism Center Nick Rasmussen, former Acting Director of the National Terrorism CenterRuss Travers, former Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Andy Liepman, former CIA Chief of Staff John Moseman, former CIA Chief of Staff Larry Pfeiffer, former CIA Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash, former National Security Agency Advisor Glenn Gerstell, former CIA Chief of Staff Rodney Snyder, former CIA analyst and manager David Preece, former Deputy Director of the CIA Office of Analysis Pam Persily, former CIA Senior Operations Officer Mark Polymeropoulos, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer Chris Savos, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer John Tullius, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer David A. Vanell, former Senior CIA Operations Officer Christine Wood, former CIA Inspector General David Buckley, former CIA analyst and targeting officer Nada Bakos, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer Patty Brandmeyer, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer James B. Bruce, former CIA Intelligence Analyst David Kalliens, former CIA Operations Support Officer Janice Kalliens, former Senior CIA Operations Officer Paul Kolbe, former CIA Analyst Peter Cosell, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer Brett Davis, former National Intelligence Officer Roger Zane George, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer Steven L. Hall, former National Intelligence Officer Kent Harrington, former National Security Advisor Don Hepburn, former CIA The panel includes Timothy D. Kilburn, Dean of the Kent School of Intelligence and Analysis; former CIA officer Ron Marks; former CIA technical operations officer Jonah Hiestand Mendez; former Director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Emile Nakhreh; former CIA Senior Operations Officer Gerald A. O’Shea; former CIA Deputy Chief of Staff Nick Shapiro; former CIA Senior Operations Officer John Seifer; former National Security Council Senior Director for Intelligence Programs Steven Slick; former CIA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs Cynthia Strand; former CIA Deputy Director of Global Affairs Greg Tarbell; former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence David Terry; former Chairman of the National Intelligence Committee Greg Treverton; and former CIA Director of Analysis Winston Wylie.
