Active CIA employee recruited signatories for Hunter Biden laptop letter, report shows

The House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees have obtained evidence that an active CIA employee may have recruited signatories for a now-infamous letter in which intelligence community veterans falsely categorized the Hunter Biden laptop as Russian disinformation in a bid to swing the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden.

"The Committees have evidence that an employee affiliated with the CIA may have assisted in obtaining signatories for the statement," reads a soon-to-be released report from the committees. "One signer of the statement, former CIA analyst David Cariens, disclosed to the Committees that a CIA employee affiliated with the agency’s Prepublication Classification Review Board ('PCRB') informed him of the existence of the statement and asked if he would sign it."

The report further stated that the committees "have requested additional material from the CIA, which has ignored the request to date."

A CIA spokesperson told Just the News that "[t]he role of CIA’s Pre-Publication Review Board (PCRB) is to review materials submitted by current and former officers to determine if the materials contain any classified information."

Former acting CIA Director Michael Morell has stated that his efforts to solicit signatories for the letter was motivated by a call from now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has denied involvement.

Morell's own solicitations expressly referenced the Biden campaign's intent to use the letter during at least some instances. An Oct. 19, 2020, email that Morell sent to former CIA Director John Brennan explicitly noted the partisan nature of the effort.

Morell told Brennan he was "trying to give the campaign, particularly during the debate on Thursday, a talking point to push back on Trump on this issue."

An Oct. 18 email to former CIA senior intelligence officer Kristin Wood also included explicit mention of the statement's partisan purpose. Morell stated that "I have control of the document. The more former intelligence officials the better. Campaign will be thrilled."

Wood aided Morell in soliciting signatures for the statement.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.