The Real Grift: Former Intel Officials Profit from Anti-Trump Narratives Despite Debunked Scandals
Trading national trust for personal gain, former intel officials push anti-Trump fiction.
Even as the Hunter Biden laptop letter and Russia collusion hoax stand fully exposed as falsehoods, retired intelligence community figures keep peddling discredited attacks on President Trump, often turning these narratives into profitable ventures by playing to a rabid, anti-Trump base through podcasts, books, and media appearances.
In a recent example, Susan Miller, former CIA Assistant Director for Counterintelligence under John Brennan, exemplifies this trend. On the August episode of the "Mission Implausible" podcast, hosted by fellow laptop letter signers John Sipher and Jerry O’Shea, Miller falsely asserted that former Attorney General William Barr and Special Counsel John Durham filed a criminal complaint against her and her team, putting them "on trial" for their role in the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference. She claimed the charges stemmed from a report concluding President Trump was the legitimate winner, laughing off the initial notification before realizing it was serious, and described facing a "tribunal for hours." Miller admitted her team couldn't definitively prove Russian influence swayed voters without polling every single one—over 136 million—and noted some CIA colleagues pushed for a conclusion questioning President Trump's legitimacy.
Hosts Sipher and O’Shea endorsed Miller's baseless tale. O’Shea likened it to authoritarian tactics in Russia, Cuba, or China, warning of a "Trump 2.0" where truth-tellers face charges and live in fear. The episode description portrayed Miller as a victim of "persecution" by Tulsi Gabbard over a classified Russia report. Miller defended the CIA as truth-tellers who "fire the people who don’t," insisting "we don’t lie inside the building," while suggesting President Trump might be a Russian asset due to his arrogance, though stopping short of a direct accusation.
Miller's claims crumble under scrutiny: No federal records show charges or a trial, her timeline misplaces Durham's 2019 probe to 2017, and she later walked back her ICA involvement, clarifying it referenced but wasn't her product. Her security clearance was revoked in 2025, alongside others like her attorney Mark Zaid.
This podcast episode highlights a broader grift among ex-intel officials monetizing anti-Trump misinformation. Sipher and O’Shea, both laptop signatories, host "Mission Implausible," leveraging their CIA backgrounds to discuss conspiracies, earning from sponsorships and listeners. Brennan, another signer, authored "Undaunted," criticizing President Trump as a domestic enemy, and appears as a paid MSNBC contributor. James Clapper wrote "Facts and Fears," downplaying the dossier's role, and serves as a CNN analyst. Andrew McCabe's "The Threat" and Peter Strzok's "Compromised" detail alleged Trump compromises, both securing book deals and media spots post-FBI. Michael Hayden's "The Assault on Intelligence" attacks President Trump's policies.
These figures, part of the 51 who falsely labeled the authentic Hunter Biden laptop as Russian disinformation in coordination with the Biden campaign, now face accountability—President Trump revoked their clearances via executive order. Yet they persist, profiting from narratives debunked by Durham's probe, which charged only three unrelated individuals and exposed FBI misconduct. This ongoing campaign undermines national security while lining pockets.
Like this article