The swamp runs deeper than you think. And plenty of people are involved.
Now a former CIA Director went ballistic after getting confronted with one question.
Tense Clash Over the 2020 Intel Letter
Former CIA Director John Brennan, 70, lost his composure last Thursday at a George Mason University event hosted by the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, where he aggressively confronted conservative national security consultant Thomas Speciale—a former senior U.S. intelligence professional and unsuccessful 2020 Republican Senate candidate in Virginia—over Brennan’s role in the infamous 2020 letter dismissing the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop revelations as having “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”
In a video Speciale posted to X on Saturday, Brennan is seen inching into Speciale’s space, jabbing a finger repeatedly into his chest, and shouting, “You misrepresented that.”
The exchange escalated as Speciale pressed Brennan on the letter’s impact, with the ex-CIA chief retorting, “We never said it was disinformation; we said it was Russian influence operations, which is what they do. There’s a big difference.”
When Speciale referenced former FBI Director James Comey’s awareness of the letter’s falsehoods, Brennan snapped, “No, you don’t know that!” before waving him off in frustration: “I’m not going to waste my time with you.”
The confrontation spilled into the after-hours reception, where Speciale also challenged Brennan on his handling of the discredited Steele dossier in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment—prompting event namesake Michael Hayden to chant “next, next, next” to move things along.
The clip drew swift backlash online, with commenters crowing over Brennan’s unraveling: “Brennan falling apart is the best thing I’ve seen today” and “Can you say guilty AF?”
WATCH:
After the conference on Thursday I confronted former CIA Director Brennan directly regarding his signing the 51 Intelligence Officers Memo knowing that the Hunter Biden laptop was real and not Russian disinformation. Watch his response. pic.twitter.com/blg86oBLRb
— Thomas A. Speciale II (@Speciale4VA) November 1, 2025
Echoes of the Laptop Scandal
The dust-up revives scrutiny of the open letter signed by Brennan and 50 other former intelligence officials—including ex-Directors of the NSA, CIA, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence—from four administrations.
Penned by ex-CIA Acting Director Michael Morell at the behest of then-Biden campaign advisor Antony Blinken, the missive admitted no direct knowledge of the laptop’s contents but speculated: “There are a number of factors that make us suspicious of Russian involvement. Such an operation would be consistent with Russian objectives, as outlined publicly and recently by the Intelligence Community, to create political chaos in the United States and to deepen political divisions here.”
Politico’s headline amplified the damage: “Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say,” fueling pre-election skepticism just weeks before November 3, 2020.
Twitter (now X) swiftly censored The Post’s October 14 exposé—sourced from a hard drive obtained via Rudy Giuliani—barring shares and briefly muting the outlet’s account, while Joe Biden cited the letter in a debate: “There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he’s accusing me of is a Russian plan.”
The revelations spotlighted Hunter Biden’s exploitation of his father’s vice presidency, including emails detailing $83,000 monthly Burisma board payments amid Joe Biden’s 2016 pressure on Ukraine to oust Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin—who was probing the gas giant. Shokin later alleged Biden targeted him to shield Hunter; Biden countered it was anti-corruption zeal.
By 2025, the laptop’s authenticity is undisputed—its contents fueled Hunter’s June 2024 federal gun conviction for lying about drug addiction. Yet remorse remains scarce among signatories; a few have nitpicked Politico’s spin, but most, like Brennan, defend it as cautious speculation. On January 20, President Trump retaliated via executive order, stripping clearances from all 51 (including the late David Petraeus), branding it “willfully weaponizing the gravitas of the Intelligence Community to manipulate the political process.”
Mounting Legal Heat on Brennan
Brennan’s outburst arrives amid intensifying GOP pursuit. On October 21, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) referred him to Attorney General Pam Bondi for prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, accusing him of “numerous willfully and intentionally false statements” in May 2023 testimony—namely, denying CIA reliance on the Steele dossier for the 2017 ICA and claiming opposition to its inclusion, despite declassified docs showing he overrode objections.
Democrats decried it as Trumpian vengeance, akin to July 2025 indictments of James Comey, but evidence from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and a CIA review bolsters the claims. Brennan’s camp has stayed mum, but with the FBI probing since July—post-CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s declassifications—the noose tightens on a figure long accused of anti-Trump bias.
