President Donald Trump has taken action by signing an executive order that withdraws the security clearances of 51 intelligence officers. These officers had signed a letter suggesting that Hunter Biden’s laptop was linked to Russian disinformation right before the 2020 presidential election.
The order also authorizes further investigation into those involved in the publication of the infamous letter.
The order specifically instructs the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to cancel the security clearances of the mentioned 51 individuals, whether they are currently active or not.
Notable figures on the list include former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Directors Mike Hayden, John Brennan, and Leon Panetta, as well as former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
BREAKING: The 51 Intelligence Officers Who Lied To America Saying Hunter Biden’s Laptop Was A Russian Hoax HAVE LOST THEIR SECURITY CLEARANCES TONIGHT Due To An Executive Order By @POTUS Trump… pic.twitter.com/fHiZ2AEZ9A
— John Basham (@JohnBasham) January 21, 2025
Evidence that the newly minted 47th President is not content with simply holding people accountable who have already been publicly shamed by adding their own signatures to that letter, Trump has authorized further investigation into the matter.
Per the EO:
(i) any additional inappropriate activity that occurred within the Intelligence Community, by anyone contracted by the Intelligence Community or by anyone who held a security clearance, related to the letter signed by the 51 former intelligence officials;
The order demands that the DNI submit an assessment within the report, providing recommendations to prevent intelligence officials from “inappropriately influencing domestic elections” in the future.
It also seeks recommendations for “any disciplinary action … that should be taken against anyone who engaged in inappropriate conduct related to the letter signed by the 51 former intelligence officials.”
Consequences at Last: Trump Ready to Pay Back 51 ‘Former Intelligence Officers’ Who Misled America
That’s where things have the potential to get very interesting.
Subsequent congressional investigations into the letter and its signatories have shown that intel officials did not act alone in attempting to delegitimize the Hunter Biden laptop story.
In a transcribed interview with the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, former acting CIA Director Mike Morrell testified that he received a call from former Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussing the laptop story.
Blinken was serving at the time as a senior advisor to the Biden campaign.
Prior to the communication with Blinken, Morrell testified that he “did not” have any intent to write the public statement that would lead to a massive media blackout of the story.
“His call triggered that intent in you?” a committee interviewer asked, to which he replied: “It did, yes.”
#BREAKING: Testimony Reveals Secretary Blinken and the Biden Campaign Were Behind the Infamous Public Statement from Former Intel Officials on the Hunter Biden Laptop @Jim_Jordan and @RepMikeTurner reveal HUGE news here: pic.twitter.com/bX3fpqJKPo
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) April 21, 2023
Blinken, notably, was not pardoned by former President Joe Biden on his way out of the White House. Nor were these intelligence officials.
Not only have the security clearances of the 51 Hunter Biden laptop hoaxers been revoked, but additional investigations into their activities are also underway. pic.twitter.com/tQZENGhsrr
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) January 21, 2025
Clapper, years after signing the letter, tried claiming the letter had been taken out of context and “distorted.”
“There was message distortion,” Clapper told the Washington Post. “All we were doing was raising a yellow flag that this could be Russian disinformation.”
Others, though, didn’t backtrack.
Former CIA officer, David Priess, whose name is on the list of those intel officials whose security clearance has been revoked, was given a platform two years later to offer an apology on Fox News and instead doubled down.
“Absolutely not. Because those words are still true,” a defiant and shameless Priess responded.
Brett Baier grills the ex CIA intelligence officer David Priess who wrote about the Hunter Biden laptop story having the earmarks of Russian disinformation pic.twitter.com/FexFb4rcsl
— • ᗰISᕼKᗩ™ • (@kingojungle) October 12, 2022
Douglas Wise, a former senior CIA operations officer whose clearance is no more, later admitted that he and others knew the contents of Hunter’s laptop “had to be real” but they chose to sign on anyway.
“All of us figured that a significant portion of that content had to be real to make any Russian disinformation credible,” Wise acknowledged during an interview with .
He would also submit that the letter was not meant to say it was Russian disinformation but, rather, was simply “a cautionary letter.”
Wise, like Priess, insisted he “(did not) regret signing” the letter “because the context is important.”
Perhaps they’ll have some regrets now that their security clearances have been revoked and their actions will be further investigated.
