Trump 'misrepresented' Hunter Biden laptop letter, John Brennan complains after losing security clearance

Ex-CIA Director John Brennan claimed President Donald Trump had "misrepresented the facts" connected the Hunter Biden laptop communicative aft his information clearance was revoked Tuesday.

By enforcement order, Trump revoked the information clearances of the 51 erstwhile intel officials who signed the 2020 missive claiming that the merchandise of emails from the laptop had "all the classical earmarks of a Russian accusation operation." Many of them were unfastened supporters astatine the clip of Joe Biden's statesmanlike run against Trump.

The signatories said successful the missive they did not cognize if the emails "are genuine oregon not and that we bash not person grounds of Russian engagement -- conscionable that our acquisition makes america profoundly suspicious that the Russian authorities played a important relation successful this case."

Brennan, who was among the signers, called the enforcement bid "bizarre" and claimed Trump distorted the letter.

JOHN BRENNAN'S CLOSED-DOOR HEARING 'CONFIRMED' HUNTER LAPTOP LETTER WAS 'ALL POLITICAL': JIM JORDAN

Former CIA manager John Brennan called retired President Donald Trump's presumption of the Hunter Biden laptop story. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

"Signatories of the missive falsely suggested that the quality communicative was portion of a Russian disinformation campaign," Trump's executive order said of "the erstwhile quality officials who engaged successful misleading and inappropriate governmental coordination with the 2020 Biden statesmanlike campaign."

"He misrepresented the facts successful that enforcement bid due to the fact that it said that we had suggested that the Hunter Biden laptop communicative was Russian disinformation," Brennan said connected MSNBC Tuesday. "No, we said it was each the hallmarks of Russian accusation operations, including the dumping of close information, which is what we said successful that letter." 

"So, again, this was just, you know, his effort to effort to get backmost astatine those individuals who person criticized him openly and publically successful the past, and I deliberation precise legitimately," helium said.

Other officials named successful the EO see erstwhile Director of National Intelligence James Clapper Jr., erstwhile CIA manager Michael Hayden, erstwhile Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and erstwhile National Security Advisor John Bolton. 

BIDEN CAMPAIGN, BLINKEN ORCHESTRATED INTEL LETTER TO DISCREDIT HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY, EX-CIA OFFICIAL SAYS

Three days aft the missive was made public, Biden utilized it arsenic a talking constituent successful the last 2020 statesmanlike statement to rebut criticisms made by Trump.

"There are 50 erstwhile nationalist quality folks who said that what this, he’s accusing maine of, is simply a Russian plan," Biden said during the debate.

Shortly aft taking office, President Trump revoked Brennan's and 50 others' information clearances by enforcement order. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

In 2023, it was reported that the Department of Justice had known since December 2019 that Hunter Biden’s laptop contained "reliable evidence" and was "not manipulated successful immoderate way."

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Brennan said that Trump had antecedently announced helium would revoke his information clearance successful 2018, but his clearance was not taken away.

"The lone crushed wherefore I inactive had a information clearance, arsenic I person for the past fig of years since I near authorities service, was for the payment of the government, truthful that if the CIA oregon different authorities bureau wanted to telephone maine successful to sermon a classified matter, they could bash that," Brennan said. 

He added, "And truthful it was truly for the government’s benefit. It was to facilitate those classified discussions with myself, arsenic good arsenic with erstwhile directors, arsenic good arsenic different erstwhile members of the quality assemblage that had those clearances."

Former CIA Director John Brennan discussed the enforcement bid connected MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" Tuesday. (MSNBC screenshot)

Brennan has appeared regularly connected MSNBC arsenic a elder nationalist information expert and is 1 of Trump's harshest critics.

In a Feb. 2024 quality connected the network, Brennan claimed that Russia is utilizing Republican politicians "as tools."

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Fox News' David Spector contributed to this report.