Former CIA Director John Brennan was filmed punching a conservative activist in the chest after confronting Hunter Biden’s laptop scandal.
At the time, Brennan, 70, signed a letter claiming the discovery of Joe Biden’s son’s emails had “all the classic hallmarks of a Russian intelligence operation.”
The video of Brennan speaking to conservative national security adviser Thomas Espyche was filmed on Thursday amid an exchange of views about the scandal.
In the video, Brennan can be heard yelling, “You worded it wrong,” before gently punching Spiele in the chest.
“We never said it was false information, we said it was a Russian infiltration operation, that’s what they’re doing. There’s a big difference,” he added.
As Spiel began waving his hand violently at Brennan, the former CIA director said he was “not wasting my time with you.”
Bitter disagreements broke out over a story New York Postwhich alleged that Hunter Biden tried to use his father’s position as vice president to secure deals with various Ukrainian businessmen.
Before this story was published, the contents of the laptop were shared with Donald Trump’s adviser, Steve Bannon. Trump’s 2020 campaign later tried to use the story to derail Joe Biden’s bid for the presidency.
Eventually, the laptop was seized by the FBI, which confirmed that the device did indeed belong to Hunter Biden.
However, a joint investigation by the Republican Senate and House Oversight Committee found no wrongdoing by Joe or Hunter Biden.
As the political firestorm began, Brennan signed a letter written by 51 current and former intelligence officials suggesting they “suspected Russian involvement in the discovery of the laptop.”
“Such an operation would be consistent with Russia’s goals, as publicly and recently expressed by the intelligence community, to create political chaos in the United States and deepen political discord here,” the letter continued.
Donald Trump has long denied any ties between himself, the Republican Party, and Russia. Although their relationship has been strained, Trump has previously praised Putin as “smart” and said the idea of Russian meddling in the US election is a “hoax”.
However, Brennan has since become a Republican target, and House Republicans are now pressing the Justice Department to bring charges against him.
In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bundy, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said Brennan “made false statements” in an interview with Congress in May 2023.
Brennan, who led the CIA from 2023 to 2017 under the Obama administration, led the federal investigation into allegations of Russian interference in Trump’s first campaign.
The investigation centered around the Steele dossier, a trove of documents compiled by a British intelligence officer that alleged Trump and his allies colluded with the Kremlin.
Brennan has denied CIA involvement in the Steele case.
However, Jordan has now claimed that “Brennan’s assertion that the CIA was ‘not involved’ in the Steele case in any way cannot be squared with the facts.”
Republicans’ targeting of Brennan comes after several prominent politicians accused the Trump administration of arming the Justice Department against the president’s political enemies.
Former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were both indicted after Trump sent an email to Pam Bundy on Truth Social urging her to prosecute his enemies without “delay.”
