Capital District Times

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a senior member of both the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, released a statement today regarding a report from these committees and the House Judiciary Committee.

“This damning report from House Republicans confirms what the American people have known for years,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “Joe Biden and his campaign colluded with the 51 disgraced former intelligence officials and weaponized the highest levels of the CIA, including signatories of the statement that were actively in a contractual relationship with the CIA, to cover up the Hunter Biden laptop story. House Republicans will continue to expose this blatant weaponization of the federal government and hold both Joe Biden and his administration accountable through our constitutionally mandated role of oversight.”

The controversy centers around an October 14, 2020 report by The New York Post detailing how Hunter Biden allegedly used his father's influence for personal gain. Five days later, 51 former intelligence officials signed a public statement suggesting that the Hunter Biden laptop story had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation," aiming to discredit The New York Post’s reporting.

Since April 2022—and renewed in January 2023 when Republicans regained control of the House—the committees have been investigating this statement's origins. They requested documents and testimony from all 51 former officials involved.

The first joint interim staff report revealed that Antony Blinken, then a top Biden campaign official and now Secretary of State, contacted former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell to provide talking points to discredit allegations against President Biden. Morell's testimony indicated that aiding President Biden in his final debate was a primary goal.

Further revelations indicate high-level awareness within the CIA about this statement before its publication. CIA Chief Operating Officer Andrew Makridis testified that he informed either Director Gina Haspel or Deputy Director Vaughn Frederick Bishop about its impending release. This sequence suggests senior CIA leadership had ample opportunity to evaluate its claims' validity. Additionally, some signatories were active CIA contractors at that time.

Despite lacking access to classified information, at least two signatories—Michael Morell and former CIA Inspector General David Buckley—were working as contractors for the agency when they signed it. This raises concerns about potential abuse of their positions to expedite approval while earning taxpayer dollars.

CIA officials recognized at that time that politicizing such statements could harm their agency's reputation. The decision by signatories to use their titles from their intelligence community roles introduced political bias into domestic matters.

Read the full interim staff report here: [Permalink](https://stefanik.house.gov/2024/6/stefanik-slams-cia-collusion-with-the-biden-campaign-to-cover-up-the-hunter-biden-laptop-story)