WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. In their letter, the senators demanded answers on whether 51 former members of the Intelligence Community misused their titles and abused their influence when they publicly suggested a press story about Hunter Biden was based on Russian misinformation just weeks before the 2020 presidential election.

“We believe, however, that this partisan effort crossed the line of politicizing the Intelligence Community as a whole as these former officials abused their influence within the Intelligence Community to achieve a partisan political outcome. Politicization of intelligence is wrong, dangerous, and threatens the public’s faith in institutions that should never be used to attempt to influence the democratic process,” the Senators wrote.

In an open letter dated October 19, 2020, 51 former intelligence officials sought to discredit a New York Post article that published emails belonging to Hunter Biden regarding his time on the Board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company. In their letter, the 51 former intelligence officials claimed the Post story had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” The intelligence officials went on to clarify they did not know if they emails were “genuine or not” and they lacked “evidence of Russian involvement,” yet still sent the letter outlining their concerns as such.

The public letter was used by the press to ignore the story and social media companies to censor content related to the story. The U.S. government also used the letter to justify certain actions. The Post story has since proven to be accurate. 

Today, the Senators are seeking answers as to what relationship the 51 officials had to the U.S. Intelligence Community at the time of sending the letter and whether the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conducted an investigation into whether former CIA Acting Director Mike Morrell, or other employees, abused their titles to advance a partisan political effort.

Joining Risch and Rubio were Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.), all members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. 

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Director Haines:

Less than four weeks prior to the 2020 Election Day, the New York Post published an article detailing how Hunter Biden used his relationship and influence with his father for personal financial gain. Specifically, the New York Post detailed how Hunter Biden allegedly introduced then-Vice President Biden to a top executive at a Ukrainian energy firm based on emails found on an abandoned laptop previously belonging to Hunter Biden. Five days later, 51 former senior intelligence officials released a statement concluding that the New York Post article had “all the classic earmarks” of Russian disinformation. We are deeply concerned these former senior members of the U.S. Intelligence Community misused their titles and connections to pursue a coordinated, partisan effort to protect President Biden during the 2020 election.

We now know this letter was part of a deliberate effort to protect the Biden campaign in the waning days of the election. These 51 former intelligence officials highlighted their former titles and previous experience in the Intelligence Community to bolster the credibility of the statement and further the effectiveness of this partisan political operation. The October 19, 2020, letter began: “We are all individuals who devoted significant portions of our lives to national security. Some of us served in senior positions in policy departments and agencies, and some of us served in senior positions in the Intelligence Community.”

Former intelligence officials have flexibility in post-employment opportunities and maintain First Amendment protections afforded to all Americans on expressing political views. We believe, however, that this partisan effort crossed the line of politicizing the Intelligence Community as a whole as these former officials abused their influence within the Intelligence Community to achieve a partisan political outcome. Politicization of intelligence is wrong, dangerous, and threatens the public’s faith in institutions that should never be used to attempt to influence the democratic process.

It is especially concerning that former Acting Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Michael Morell requested that the CIA’s Prepublication Classification Review Board (PCRB) fast track this calculated effort to protect the Biden campaign. It is also inexcusable that a CIA employee, then assigned to the PCRB, may have solicited additional signatures from former Intelligence Community officials.

To better understand any connections these 51 signatories, as detailed in Appendix A, had to the Intelligence Community both at the time their public statement was released and today, please provide the following information by June 14, 2023.

1. How many of the Appendix A individuals maintained an active security clearance at any point between October 1, 2020, and October 31, 2020?
2. How many of the Appendix A individuals currently possess a security clearance?
3. How many of the Appendix A individuals-maintained business arrangements, contracts, or other consulting arrangements with any element of the U.S. Intelligence Community between October 1, 2020, to October 31, 2020?
4. How many of the Appendix A individuals currently maintain business arrangements, contracts, or other consulting arrangements with any element of the U.S. Intelligence Community?
5. Has the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) or the CIA conducted a review of former CIA Acting Director Mike Morrell’s abuse of the CIA’s PCRB process?
6. Has ODNI or the CIA conducted an investigation into whether others employed by the Intelligence Community in October 2020, participated or aided in the creation of the public statement?

All of us in positions of public trust with access to classified information owe it to the American people not to abuse our positions for political purposes. We look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

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