James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence during the Obama administration, has "found religion" and is backtracking on a letter he signed with 50 other U.S. intelligence officials about Hunter Biden's laptop.
But it is too little, too late, former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker told Newsmax on Wednesday.
"The damage is done, and you can't unring that bell," Whitaker told "Wake Up America." "It's unfortunate that those people were more willing to affect an election and seek the truth as is related to this laptop."
Earlier this week, Clapper accused Politico of "deliberately" distorting the letter, saying it was written while "raising a yellow flag that this could be Russian disinformation."
But Whitaker said Clapper knows, over the past few years, "his credibility has completely been eroded because this laptop is proven out to be true, and we knew at the time when these officials came out and said that this was Russian disinformation that they were trying to affect an election for the president of the United States."
Whitaker also predicted all of the other letter signers will come forward, in part, but said Clapper is "someone that has other challenges and has been criticized for other things that he has done that have been sketchy. He obviously is trying to repair his reputation."
Meanwhile, Russia has admitted to meddling in U.S. elections, but Whitaker said it is nothing new for the Russians to interfere in elections.
"When I was at the Department of Justice in 2018, for example, there were some efforts that we had to combat," Whitaker said. "Each country whether it's China, whether it's Russia, or even the United States uses the means and methods to help other countries or distort other countries to their ends.
"It does not mean that you know, candidates and in particular, in 2016, Donald Trump was coordinating or doing anything illegal. This is something that's been going on for some time."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.