Ex-Intel Chiefs Stand Defiant, Refuse to Admit Laptop Deceit - "Every Patriotic American Should Have Lied"

The 51 signatories, a who's who of former CIA directors, national intelligence czars, and other high-ranking officials, were contacted by Fox News. Their responses ranged from dismissive to downright brazen. James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence under Obama, curtly replied "No" when asked if he regretted signing the letter that labeled the laptop a "Russian disinformation" ploy. He declined to remove his name or acknowledge they should have waited for more facts.

Attorney Mark S. Zaid, representing several signatories including former CIA officers, issued a statement doubling down: "A careful and objective reading of the document reflects that even today its content is accurate." In a jaw-dropping assertion, he claimed "Every patriotic American should have signed that letter" -- this, after the Justice Department and FBI confirmed the laptop's authenticity in Hunter Biden's ongoing criminal trial.

Greg Treverton, former Chair of the National Intelligence Council, also stood by the letter's claims. "What we said was true, we were inferring from our experience, and it did look like a Russian operation," he declared, ignoring evidence that disproved their "Russian disinformation" theory. Such arrogance is startling, considering the impact their letter had on public discourse and social media censorship in those crucial pre-election weeks.

"It served as nothing more than a warning letter of what we have known for decades: certain foreign governments - including Russia - continue to try and actively interfere in our domestic affairs and our guard must remain vigilant," Zaid added, as if this justified their unsubstantiated smear of legitimate reporting from the New York Post.

The laptop, infamously dismissed as "the laptop from hell" by former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, contained emails and other data implicating Hunter Biden in shady foreign business dealings that traded on his father's influence. Despite the FBI being aware of its authenticity in late 2019, the letter's signatories plowed ahead with their "Russian disinformation" claims -- parroted by the Biden campaign, mainstream media, and Big Tech platforms that suppressed the story.

"Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say," blared the original Politico headline on October 19th, 2020 -- a false claim that remains uncorrected over two years later. When pressed, Zaid admitted the letter's authors "pretty much" wrote it themselves before soliciting co-signers, many of whom may not have even read the Politico story.

As the contents of the laptop became key evidence in Hunter Biden's gun trial, the misinformation effort was finally exposed. Federal prosecutors authenticated the data, with an FBI agent testifying the laptop's emails and texts were cross-checked against Hunter's iCloud account. Yet the perpetrators show no remorse, clinging to the unpatriotic falsehood they manufactured to sway voters.

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden simply hung up when asked for comment by Fox News. Larry Pfeiffer, ex-CIA chief of staff, and Russ Travers, former National Counterterrorism Center Director, deflected. Two signatories have since passed away. The others maintained a deafening silence, unable to admit their complicity in one of the dirtiest tricks in modern political history -- all to protect a powerful family's secrets and image.

With the same arrogance that led to disastrous intelligence failures like Iraq's WMDs, these former officials betrayed the nation's trust. They peddled misinformation to mislead the public and unduly influenced a presidential election -- the very "Russian disinformation" tactic they falsely accused others of deploying. Their defiance simply reaffirms their contempt for the truth and the people they once swore to serve honestly.