House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is investigating whether any of the 51 “lying spies” who signed a statement in October 2020 alleging a possible Russian disinformation operative Hunter Biden’s laptop were on the CIA payroll at the time.
“[W]I understand that former intelligence officers often return to the intelligence community under private contracts for their previous agencies,” Jordan wrote in a Dec. 4 letter to CIA Director William Burns obtained by The Post.
“It is important for the Committee’s oversight to understand whether any of the signatories to the public statement were actively employed by the CIA as contractors or consultants at the time they signed the public statement.”
Jordan gave Burns until Dec. 15 to reveal any of the 51 signatories who have had an active contract or consulted for the CIA at any time since Jan. 1, 2020, and in what capacity — especially if their work is related to the Biden family.
Jordan also said the CIA did not comply with a records request his panel submitted in May, citing “fundamental concerns about the CIA’s role in helping to discredit false allegations about the Biden family in the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election.”
“[W]I understand that former intelligence officers often return to the intelligence community under private contract for their previous agency,” Jordan wrote in a letter to CIA Director William Burns. Getty Images House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is investigating whether the CIA paid any of the 51 former intelligence officials who claimed Hunter Biden’s laptop was likely Russian misinformation. AP
The Judiciary Chairman said that the initial release of the documents showed the records were initially unclassified had been marked as classified before reaching the committee — and that the records were “directly” related to the “CIA’s awareness of public statements prior to their publication.”
“After a careful review of the classified release of documents that were originally unclassified and retain their previously unclassified markings, it is clear that the classification of these documents was not for the purpose of protecting America’s national security, but rather to protect the CIA from potential embarrassment,” Jordan wrote.
The records could answer “fundamental concerns about the CIA’s role in helping to discredit false allegations about the Biden family in the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election.” The Washington Post via Getty Images
“Therefore, it appears that the CIA’s decision to classify these documents is unjustifiably disappointing and hinders the Committee’s ability to fulfill our constitutional oversight obligations.”
Jordan had threatened to call in the CIA in May if it refused to hand over the information.
The Oct. 18 open letter was intended to discredit The Post’s report that the first child had involved his father, presidential candidate Joe Biden, in lucrative overseas business ventures, according to emails found on his abandoned laptop.
The 51 official said the leaked emails had “all the classic markers of a Russian information operation,” which the big tech platform used to block its access.
The 51 officials said the leaked emails had “all the hallmarks of a Russian information operation,” an allegation that Big Tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter used to block access to the story, saying The Post’s report violated their policies on hacked material.
The social media company censored The Post even after being notified by the FBI that the contents of the laptop were authentic.
The Post revealed many signatories on its March 19, 2022, front page, one of whom was later identified as a former CIA agent who worked at Twitter on Election Day 2020.
Former acting CIA director Mike Morell organized the signatories joining the effort after speaking with then-Biden campaign adviser Antony Blinken, now secretary of state. AP
Former acting CIA director Mike Morell recruited the signatories after speaking with then-Biden campaign adviser Antony Blinken, now secretary of state.
Then-candidate Joe Biden referenced the letter during the second and final presidential debate against former President Donald Trump on Oct. 22. 2020, falsely claiming the laptop as “Russian factory.”
David Cariens, a former CIA analyst, revealed that Morell had requested the analyst’s signature on the infamous letter when Cariens spoke to the agency’s Prepublication Classification Review Board about his upcoming memoir.
Then-candidate Joe Biden referenced the letter during the second and final presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, falsely claiming the laptop’s contents were “Russian-made.” AFP via Getty Images
That exchange and others about the CIA’s knowledge of the letter were revealed by the House Judiciary Committee in a May staff report.
Under questioning from reporters, several former intelligence officials who signed the letter have chosen to stand by the statement, with Obama-era CIA Director Leon Panetta telling Fox News in October, “No, I’m not sorry.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
