The 51 spies who signed the letter

The statement, signed by former CIA directors John Brennan, Michael Hayden, Leon Panetta and John McLaughlin among others, said the emails’ arrival had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” It also said: “We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails, provided to the New York Post by the President’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, are genuine or not, and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement.” [1]

Three days later, at the last presidential debate, Biden answered Trump’s “laptop from hell” taunts by citing the signers: “There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what this — he’s accusing me of is a Russian plan.” The caveat did not travel with the headline. [2]

In 2023 testimony to House Republicans, former acting CIA director Michael Morell said that Antony Blinken, then a Biden campaign adviser, called him after the Post story and “set in motion the events that led” to the statement, and the committees cited organizers’ emails showing it was meant to help Biden in the campaign’s final weeks. Democrats released more of the interview, in which Morell said of Blinken: “My memory is that he did not, right. My memory is that he asked me what I thought.” Blinken denied asking for the statement but did not dispute that his call was its impetus, the Republicans said. [1]

In June 2024 House Intelligence Republicans added that the letter went through the CIA’s prepublication review and that some signers were working as CIA contractors at the time. Trump’s first-day executive order, EO 14152, revoked the clearances of the signers, saying they “coordinated with the Biden campaign” and “falsely suggested” a Russian operation. [2][3]