On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” former Defense Secretary and former CIA Director Leon Panetta responded to questions on whether he regrets signing a letter that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation knowing what he knows now by stating, “I think that disinformation is involved here. I think Russian disinformation is part of what we’re seeing everywhere.” And “I don’t have any regrets about not trusting the Russians.”
Host Bret Baier asked, [relevant exchange begins around 4:10] “I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about that letter you signed on to from former intelligence officials saying that the laptop and the emails had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation…that letter was used in the debate. I haven’t asked you this, but do you have regrets about that, now, looking back, knowing what you know now?”
Panetta answered, “Bret, look, I was extremely concerned about Russian interference and misinformation, and we all know it, intelligence agencies discovered that Russia had continued to push disinformation across the board, and my concern was to kind of alert the public to be aware that these disinformation efforts went on. And frankly, I haven’t seen any evidence from any intelligence agency that that was not the case.”
Baier followed up, “You don’t think that it was real?”
Panetta responded, “I think that disinformation is involved here. I think Russian disinformation is part of what we’re seeing everywhere. I don’t trust the Russians, and that’s exactly why I was concerned that the public not trust the Russians either.”
Baier then asked, “[O]bviously, Hunter Biden said it was his laptop and this investigation continues. So, you don’t have any regrets about doing what you did?”
Panetta responded, “No, I don’t have any regrets about not trusting the Russians.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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