During his impassioned discourse with Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, Brennan asserted, “The sole reason I retained my security clearance, which I have held for several years since departing from government service, was to serve the interests of the government, allowing the CIA or other agencies to consult with me on classified matters if necessary.”
Continuing in a manner that lacked conviction, the former CIA director, seemingly affected by what some term “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” stated, “It was genuinely for the benefit of the government. It was intended to facilitate classified discussions involving myself, former directors, and other past members of the intelligence community who held those clearances.”
Brennan further contended that Trump misrepresented the contents of the letter he had a hand in drafting, engaging in semantic arguments to portray himself as blameless. He claimed, “He distorted the facts in that executive order by suggesting we indicated that the Hunter Biden laptop narrative was Russian disinformation. In reality, we noted it bore the hallmarks of Russian information operations, which included the dissemination of accurate information, as we articulated in that letter.”
In the executive order, Trump accurately stated, “In the final weeks of the 2020 Presidential campaign, at least 51 former intelligence officials collaborated with the Biden campaign to produce a letter that discredited reports regarding President Joseph R. Biden’s son abandoning his laptop at a computer repair shop.”
Brennan asserted that the revocation of his security clearance was an act of vengeance, neglecting to address Trump’s allegations regarding the undermining of the intelligence community’s credibility. He stated, “This was merely his attempt to retaliate against those who have openly and publicly criticized him in the past, and I believe that criticism was entirely justified.”
Brennan faced significant backlash online for his inaccurate statements about Trump. Among his critics was Glenn Greenwald, who shared a headline from POLITICO that read, “Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say.” In a commentary aimed at discrediting Brennan, Greenwald remarked, “John Brennan complained on MSNBC about the loss of his security clearance due to dishonesty, and then proceeded to lie again (see video below). He denied that he and CIA officials claimed the Hunter laptop was ‘Russian disinformation.’ Here’s what POLITICO reported after they provided the story to @NatashaBertrand.”
In a similar vein, the Western Lensman X account commented on Brennan’s statement, saying, “The carefully constructed language that provided cover for this election interference operation and its perpetrators is inconsequential — the intent was evident: to supply Biden and the legacy media with last-minute propaganda to counter the truths revealed in the laptop. At last, there is some degree of accountability.” A user who quoted this statement added, “John Brennan is a pathetic liar.”
