The former acting CIA Director, Michael Morell, who authored a letter signed by 51 ex-intelligence officials attempting to discredit The Post's report on Hunter Biden's controversial laptop, informed another former top intelligence official that he was creating it as a "talking point" for Joe Biden to use during a debate against then-President Donald Trump.
According to an email obtained by Just the News, dated October 19, 2020, Morell told former CIA boss John Brennan that he was trying to provide Biden's presidential campaign with ammunition to "push back on Trump" during the debate. Morell encouraged Brennan to sign the letter, which suggested that Hunter Biden's laptop could be part of a Russian disinformation operation.
"Can I add your name to this list?" Morell asked Brennan in the email. "Trying to give the campaign, particularly during the debate on [Oct. 22, 2020], a talking point to push back on Trump on this issue," Morell elaborated, acknowledging that the letter was meant to assist Biden in his face-off with Trump.
Brennan replied, "Ok, Michael, add my name to the list. Good initiative. Thanks for asking me to sign on."
The email exchange reveals that Brennan was aware of Morell's political motivation before signing the letter. The Post learned on Thursday that Brennan will meet with members of the House subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government for a transcribed interview regarding the letter on May 11.
James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, who also signed the letter, is scheduled for an interview with the panel on May 17, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Morell's email also reveals other US intelligence community members who were asked to join the project but ultimately did not. Daniel Hoffman, the CIA's former Moscow station chief, told Fox News last week that he declined to sign the letter because there was "no evidence" of Russian involvement in the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who also leads the government weaponization subcommittee, disclosed last month that Morell testified before his panel that he had drafted the letter and that then-Biden campaign adviser and current Secretary of State Antony Blinken was the "impetus" behind the attempt to discredit The Post.
Last week, Jordan and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) informed Blinken that they would be investigating his role in the production of the letter.
During the October 22, 2020, debate against Trump, Biden used the letter to deflect accusations about his involvement in overseas influence-peddling schemes, claiming that The Post had reported on "a Russian plant."