by Steven Richards
Last week, a group of former civilian national security officials and military leaders signed on to an open letter endorsing Kamala Harris for president, sparking modern criticism of an industry that has waded into anti-Donald Trump politics in recent years and recalls the “11th Hour Hunters” case ” Letter to Biden’s laptop.
Last April, it was discovered that an infamous letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials falsely discredited New York Post Office story about Hunter Biden’s laptop as alleged Russian disinformation. This has led to a saga of censorship and news blocking in which New York Post Office the story was banned from social media and mainstream media refused to cover it. At last, New York Times AND Washington Post Office he admitted that the laptop was indeed true, months after Biden’s election. The signatories never mentioned it, and both newspapers overlooked it The FBI authenticated the laptop months before its premiere. One of the organizers of the letter testified in 2023 that he was first contacted by then-Biden campaign adviser Antony Blinken, the future secretary of state: triggering effort prepare it.
Published by America’s National Security Leaders and addressed in an open format to the American people, argued a recent letter of recommendation that Harris is the only candidate in the race who would be a “serious and capable” commander in chief and able to protect “American democracy.”
“This election is a choice between sedate leadership and vindictive impulsivity. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals while former President Donald Trump threatens them,” wrote more than 700 former officials, civilian employees and military veterans.
Echoes of elderly politics
Echoes vital talking points for Democrats in an open letter of support, such as that Republican Party nominee Donald Trump poses a threat to the democratic process, has drawn criticism from other former national security officials who say their contributions to the election reek of the same political interference from Hunter Biden’s community laptop saga and aims to undermine Harris’s actual electoral weaknesses.
Fred Fleitz, Trump’s former chief of staff on the National Security Council, called the letter “ridiculous.” article published by The greatness of Americaa magazine devoted to the revival of the conservative movement.
“[The] “The letter includes several absurdly false accusations, such as accusing Trump of ‘praising’ Hezbollah and ‘condemning’ Israel,” Fleitz wrote. “And of course, the letter contains typical Democratic comments about Trump as an impulsive leader who threatens democracy.”
Fleitz says the letter actually aims to do just one thing: counter one of Harris’s most “significant weaknesses” – the growing global instability spearheaded by the Biden administration.
“The Harris campaign hopes that the letter, signed by a large number of former national security officials, will distract Americans from Trump’s national security successes and prevent them from being held accountable for the global instability caused by the Biden/Harris administration’s vicious foreign policies,” he wrote. “This includes the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas massacre of Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran’s growing nuclear program, greatly increased tensions and threats from China, and other threats.”
The open letter followed another endorsement, this time from over 100 former Republicans national security, elected and other federal government officials repeating similar arguments.
“We believe that the President of the United States must be a principled, serious and steady leader who can support and defend American security and values, strengthen our alliances and protect our democracy. We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe she has the necessary qualities to serve as president and Donald Trump does not,” the signatories wrote. “That is why we support her election as president.”
Fleitz said the modern letter echoes efforts by an overlapping group of former national security officials to discredit reports about Hunter Biden’s laptop. They described the laptop strenuous drive leak as a Russian information operation and suggested that reports based on its contents cannot be trusted.
“Many Americans were outraged by the letter because it depicted former intelligence officials, including several with highly paid government contracts, who were abusing their profession to meddle in the U.S. presidential election and mislead the American public,” Fleitz wrote.
Support from some people involved in the disinformation campaign
It seems that several officials who signed the letter regarding the laptop were not afraid that their assessment turned out to be untrue. Of the hundreds of officials who signed the modern letter in support of Harris, Nine former officials were also signatories about an earlier attempt to discredit Biden’s laptop.
They include former Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper; former CIA Director Michael V. Hayden; former CIA Director Leon E. Panetta; former CIA director John Brennan; former Acting CIA Director John E. McLaughlin; former CIA Chief of Staff Laurence M. Pfeiffer; former Department of Defense Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash; CIA Station Chief John Sipher; and former chairman of the National Intelligence Council Gregory Frye Treverton.
Several intelligence officials who signed the letter he later testified before Congress as part of the investigation into the incident. It was clear from their interviews that the authors of the letter were guided primarily by politics, while admitting that they had no strenuous evidence to support their claims, Only News previously reported.
The fact that his campaign contributed to the letter didn’t stop then-candidate Joe Biden from using it to counter Trump’s attacks.
“Listen, there are 50 former national intelligence officials who said they are accusing me of a Russian plan. They said it has all the hallmarks of four or five former CIA chiefs, both sides, who think what he’s saying is a load of garbage.” Biden said during the last debate belittling then-President Donald Trump, who criticized him for his apparent involvement in his son’s business dealings.
The letter may have served its original purpose. Less than a month later, Biden won the presidential election.
“We help the Vice President”
One of the organizers, former CIA director Michael Morell, said one of the reasons for writing the letter was to aid Biden. “I think of it as two motivations. You know, first of all, let the Americans know what we perceived as deep suspicion about Russian involvement; and then two, helping the vice president,” Morell told Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan.
“You wanted to help the vice president, why?” – Jordan asked.
“Because I wanted him to win the election,” Morell replied.
He further admitted that he and his co-signatories had no direct evidence that the laptop information was the product of a Russian information operation, as described in the letter.
IN comment to Fox NewsNational Security Leaders of America president, Rear Admiral Michael Smith, USN (Ret.), presented the defense on behalf of the nine signatories who signed both letters.
“One well-reasoned but ultimately wrong judgment does not undermine the value of a lifetime of public service. “Their contention that former President Trump is uncommitted to democracy and unprepared to serve as commander in chief is valid, as is their assessment of Vice President Harris as a strategic and competent leader.”
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Steven Richards is an investigative reporter at Just the News.
Photo “Kamala Harris” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0.
