
Well, folks, it looks like accountability is back on the menu in Washington. President Donald Trump has wasted no time in delivering a long-overdue reckoning for the 51 intelligence officials who played a key role in the 2020 election interference debacle by dismissing Hunter Biden’s laptop as “Russian disinformation.” With the stroke of a pen, Trump has not only revoked their security clearances but also authorized a full-scale investigation into the origins and impact of the now-infamous letter they signed. This isn’t just a policy move—it’s a direct challenge to the entrenched political class that weaponized the intelligence community to protect their chosen candidate and undermine a legitimate news story.
Let’s not forget the stakes here. In the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, these former intelligence officials—including high-profile figures like James Clapper, John Brennan, Mike Hayden, and Leon Panetta—signed a letter that cast doubt on the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop. The letter, conveniently timed to coincide with explosive reporting on the laptop’s contents, effectively created a media blackout on the story. Social media platforms shut down discussion, major outlets dismissed the reporting as baseless, and voters were left in the dark about a scandal that implicated Joe Biden himself. And now, thanks to testimony and mounting evidence, we know it wasn’t a coincidence—it was a coordinated effort to influence the election.
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
Trump’s executive order is a direct response to this gross abuse of power. By revoking the security clearances of these 51 individuals, he’s sending a message that the days of unchecked political interference from the intelligence community are over. But it doesn’t stop there. The order also mandates a report from the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the CIA on whether additional inappropriate activity occurred. And let’s be clear: this isn’t just a bureaucratic exercise. The report will include recommendations for preventing intelligence officials from influencing elections in the future and could lead to disciplinary action for those involved.
What makes this move particularly potent is how it exposes the rot at the heart of the 2020 election interference. Testimony from former acting CIA Director Mike Morrell revealed that then-Biden campaign advisor Antony Blinken—a man who later became Secretary of State—was the one who triggered the infamous letter. Morrell admitted in a transcribed interview with the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees that Blinken’s call spurred him to organize signatures from intel officials, turning what might have been a minor whisper into a full-blown propaganda campaign. Before Blinken’s involvement, Morrell had no intention of writing the letter. This wasn’t just a group of intel officials independently “raising a yellow flag”—it was a coordinated effort orchestrated by the Biden campaign.
#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
And let’s not buy into the excuses these intel officials have trotted out in the years since. James Clapper, for instance, tried to claim the letter was “distorted” and only meant to raise questions, not declare the laptop Russian disinformation. But former CIA officer Douglas Wise gave the game away when he admitted that they knew the contents of the laptop were likely real but signed the letter anyway. He even doubled down on his actions, saying he had no regrets because the letter was merely “a cautionary” warning. Spare us the spin. The goal wasn’t caution—it was suppression.
The brazenness of it all is astounding. Even after years of mounting evidence proving the laptop was real and the story legitimate, some of these officials remain shamelessly defiant. David Priess, another signatory, told Fox News he had “absolutely no regrets” about signing the letter. This is the mindset of a political class that has grown too comfortable with wielding its influence for partisan purposes. But with this executive order, Trump is making it clear that there are consequences for those who abuse the public trust.
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
The question now is how far the investigation will go. Trump’s order has set the stage for a deeper dive into the coordination behind the letter, including who was involved, how far the interference reached, and whether there were any other abuses of power within the intelligence community. Given that congressional investigations have already shown clear ties between the Biden campaign and the intel community’s efforts to discredit the laptop story, the results could be explosive.