South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has sent a letter to the 51 former intelligence officials who signed a memo suggesting Hunter Biden's laptop had the hallmarks of Russian disinformation. In the letter, Graham questioned whether the officials would still have signed the October 19, 2020 letter if they knew what they know now about the laptop.
Graham, a Republican, has previously hinted at revoking the security clearances of officials who signed the letter. Vice President-elect JD Vance had pledged during the campaign that the incoming Trump administration would strip the clearances of all 51 signatories.
When asked if they regretted signing the letter, Obama-era DNI James Clapper responded negatively. Mark Zaid, an attorney representing seven of the signatories, defended their actions as 'patriotic.'
Greg Treverton, a signatory and former chair of the National Intelligence Council, stood by the letter, stating that their suspicions were based on experience and the situation appeared to be a Russian operation.
The letter had expressed concerns about Russian influence on American voters and suggested that the Russian government might have played a significant role in the case. However, recent reports indicate that federal investigators knew in December 2019 that Hunter Biden's laptop was not manipulated and contained reliable evidence.
An IRS whistleblower involved in the probe revealed that investigators were obstructed from accessing all available information. The laptop was introduced as evidence in a Delaware courtroom, where FBI agent Erika Jensen authenticated the laptop and extracted data for Hunter Biden's gun trial.
