Former CIA Director John Brennan claimed President Donald Trump “misrepresented the facts” regarding the Hunter Biden laptop issue after his security clearance was revoked on Tuesday.
By executive order, President Trump signed a 2020 letter claiming that the release of emails from his laptop “contains all the classic hallmarks of a Russian intelligence operation.” 's security clearance has been revoked. Many of them were openly supporters of Joe Biden during his campaign against President Trump.
The signatories say in the letter that they do not know whether the email is genuine and there is no evidence of Russian involvement, but that in our experience the Russian government played a significant role in this incident. He said he had very strong doubts. ”
Brennan, one of the signatories, called the executive order “bizarre” and claimed that President Trump misrepresented the letter.
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Former CIA Director John Brennan criticized President Donald Trump's take on the Hunter Biden laptop incident. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“The signatories of the letter falsely suggested that this news story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign,” President Trump said. presidential order It referred to “former intelligence officials who engaged in misleading and inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign.”
“He misrepresented the facts in that executive order because it said we suggested that the Hunter Biden laptop issue was Russian disinformation,” Brennan said on MSNBC on Tuesday. said. “No, we said this is all characteristic of Russian intelligence operations, including the leaking of accurate information. That's what we said in that letter.”
“So, again, this is, you know, just an attempt to get back at people who have publicly criticized him in the past, which I think is very justified,” he said. Ta.
Other officials named to the EO include former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper Jr., former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton.
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Three days after the letter was released, Biden used it as a talking point to counter President Trump's criticisms during the final presidential debate of 2020.
“Fifty former national intelligence officials say what they're accusing me of is a Russian plan,” Biden said during the debate.
Shortly after taking office, President Trump revoked the security clearances of Brennan and 50 others by executive order. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
In 2023, it was reported that the Justice Department had known since December 2019 that Hunter Biden's laptop contained “credible evidence” and had “not been manipulated in any way.”
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Brennan said President Trump had previously announced in 2018 that he would revoke his security clearance, but his clearance was not revoked.
“For years after I left the civil service, the only reason I still had a security clearance was for the benefit of the government, in case the CIA or other government agencies wanted to call me. They could do that if we talked about sensitive matters,'' Brennan said.
He added: “And it was really in the government's interest. It was to facilitate confidential discussions between myself and the former director and other former members of the intelligence community who had clearance. ” he added.
Former CIA Director John Brennan discussed the executive order Tuesday on MSNBC's “The Andrea Mitchell Report.” (Screenshot from MSNBC)
Brennan regularly appears on MSNBC as a senior national security analyst and is one of President Trump's harshest critics.
In an appearance on the network in February 2024, Brennan claimed that Russia was using Republican politicians “as tools.”
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FOX News' David Specter contributed to this report.
