Last year, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper informed the House Judiciary Committee that he did not regret signing the infamous 2020 letter, along with 51 other former intelligence officials, implying that the Hunter Biden laptop was fake.
Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan were among the leading figures who signed the letter. They also played significant roles in the debunked “Russia collusion” allegations against former President Donald Trump.
The laptop contained evidence suggesting Hunter Biden’s involvement in apparent crimes, along with indications that then-candidate Joe Biden was linked to his son’s business dealings and influence-peddling.
The letter suggested that the laptop was a product of a Russian “information” (i.e. disinformation) campaign.
The House Judiciary Committee made public transcripts from private interviews with Clapper, Brennan, and other letter signatories. Previous testimony unveiled how Antony Blinken, now Secretary of State, and former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell circulated the letter to help Biden in the final presidential debate.
Clapper’s testimony confirms that the letter was used specifically in an effort to provide Joe Biden a talking point for the debate in the event that President Donald Trump brought up the laptop, as he eventually did.
Biden replied: “Look, there are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what this, he’s accusing me of is a Russian plan. They have said that this has all the characteristics — four– five former heads of the CIA, both parties, say what he’s saying is a bunch of garbage. Nobody believes it except him and his good friend Rudy Giuliani.”
In a portion of the Clapper transcript, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) asked Clapper if he regrets signing the letter, considering later confirmation that the laptop and its contents were genuine. Clapper responded that he does not regret it.
From the transcript:
Mr. Stewart. So you have — and I want to say this gently and respectfully — but you have cited your background and your experience in Russian disinformation, you’ve had 2 years to evaluate the evidence, and you still have no conclusion as to whether this was a Russian disinformation campaign?
Mr. Clapper. I have not had access to the laptop, myself, and I don’t know any results of a legitimate forensic analysis of it. Again, all I was suggesting of the possibility that Russians could be involved. I didn’t say they were.
Mr. Stewart. So at this point, you would think it would be valid for us to continue to investigate the Hunter Biden laptop as possible Russian disinformation?
Mr. Clapper. Certainly.
Mr. Stewart. Okay. And do you regret signing the letter?
Mr. Clapper. No.
Mr. Stewart. Still not. With all the information available to you now, you still don’t regret it?
Mr. Clapper. No. This is two and a half years ago.
Mr. Stewart. But with the information available to you now, do you wish you could go back and say, you know, I wish I wouldn’t –.
Mr. Clapper. No, I don’t. I do wish we added a statement in the letter that said something along the lines of, “We will of course abide by the results of a legitimate forensic analysis of the laptop.” I think that would have strengthened the letter.
As for Brennan, he also stated that he had no regrets, although he acknowledged that the letter has “given fuel to those who want to create this furor over it.”
The testimonies occurred a year before the Department of Justice officially confirmed the laptop’s authenticity in its prosecution of Hunter Biden for falsifying information on a federal gun form.
There were no apologies from the 51 signatories.
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