Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced legislation on Tuesday, dubbed the “Spook Who Cried Wolf Resolution,” to bar security clearances for 51 intelligence officials who signed on to a letter in the fall of 2020 claiming that the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop was part of a Russian disinformation operation.
Gaetz said in a press release:
On October 19, 2020, 51 former intelligence officials signed a letter titled, “Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails,” which claimed Hunter Biden’s emails were a part of a “Russian information operation.” Following the censorship of the New York Post’s exposé on the emails by Big Tech and media tycoons, the New York Times confirmed the legitimacy of the emails on March 17, 2022. As of March 22, 2022, 4 of the 51 signatories maintained their support for the erroneous letter.
“The 51 signatories of the letter who publicly and falsely decried Hunter Biden’s laptop to be Russian disinformation should be barred from holding any level of security clearances indefinitely,” Gaetz’s resolution states.
The 51 intelligence officials who signed the letter include:
- Jim Clapper, Former Director of National Intelligence
- Mike Hayden, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
- Leon Panetta, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
- John Brennan, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
- Thomas Finger, Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis
- Rick Ledgett, Former Deputy Director, National Security Agency
- John McLaughlin, Former Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency
- Michael Morell, Former Actng Director, Central Intelligence Agency
- Mike Vickers, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
- Doug Wise, Former Deputy Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
- Nick Rasmussen, Former Director, National Counterterrorism Center
- Russ Travers, Former Acting Director, National Counterterrorism Center
- Andy Liepman, Former Deputy Director, National Counterterrorism Center
- John Moseman, Former Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency
- Larry Pfeiffer, Former Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency
- Jeremy Bash, Former Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency
- Rodney Snyder, Former Chief of Staff, Central Intelligence Agency
- Glenn Gerstell, Former General Counsel, National Security Agency
- David B. Buckley, Former Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency
- Nada Bakos, Former Analyst and Targeting Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Patty Brandmaier, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- James B. Bruce, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- David Cariens, Former Intelligence Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency
- Janice Cariens, Former Operational Support Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Paul Kolbe, Former Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Peter Corsell, Former Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency
- Brett Davis, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Roger Zane George, Former National Intelligence Officer
- Steven L. Hall, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Kent Harrington, Former National Intelligence Officer for East Asia, Central Intelligence Agency
- Don Hepburn, Former Senior National Security Executive
- Timothy D. Kilbourn, Former Dean, Sherman Kent School of Intelligence Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency
- Ron Marks, Former Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Jonna Hiestand Mendez, Technical Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Emile Nakhleh, Former Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program, Central Intelligence Agency
- Gerald A. O’Shea, Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- David Priess, Former Analyst and Manager, Central Intelligence Agency
- Pam Purcilly, Former Deputy Director of Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency
- Marc Polymeropoulos, Former Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Chris Savos, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Officer
- Nick Shapiro, Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director, Central Intelligence Agency
- John Sipher, Former Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Stephen Slick, Former Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, National Security Council
- Cynthia Strand, Former Deputy Assistant Director for Global Issues, Central Intelligence Agency
- Greg Tarbell, Former Deputy Executive Director, Central Intelligence Agency
- David Terry, Former Chairman of the National Intelligence Collection Board
- Greg Treverton, Former Chair, National Intelligence Council
- John Tullius, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- David A. Vanell, Former Senior Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency
- Winston Wiley, Former Director of Analysis, Central Intelligence Agency
- Kristin Wood, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Agency.