DHS names James Clapper, John Brennan to intelligence experts panel

The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced the creation of the Homeland Intelligence Experts Group and named a litany of ex-Obama intelligence officials, some of whom have been linked to the Trump-Russia collusion hoax.

The panel will include "private sector experts who will provide their unique perspectives on the federal government’s intelligence enterprise to DHS’s I&A and the Office of the Counterterrorism Coordinator."

"The security of the American people depends on our capacity to collect, generate, and disseminate actionable intelligence to our federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, campus, and private sector partners," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.

Most of the inaugural appointees have backgrounds in intelligence or law enforcement. Two of the most prominent names, however, stood at the top of an intelligence apparatus that has attracted considerable scrutiny in recent years.

Former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have both come under scrutiny as proponents of the now-debunked Trump-Russia collusion hoax.

Brennan, in particular, was a vocal proponent of the narrative that Trump worked with the Kremlin to win the White House. Special counsel John Durham, however, highlighted his discussions with Brenna in his final report, noting that the ex-CIA director conceded that the government "found no conspiracy" between Trump and the Kremlin. Clapper, meanwhile, has also come under fire for his own comments regarding Russian election interference.

"I express my deep gratitude to these distinguished individuals for dedicating their exceptional expertise, experience, and vision to our critical mission," Mayorkas added in the announcement.

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