Former CIA Director John Brennan, long considered one of the central figures behind the U.S. intelligence community’s handling of the Russia collusion narrative, was confronted in dramatic fashion Thursday at George Mason University — and by the end of the event, he was visibly rattled.
The source of Brennan’s agitation? Thomas Speciale, a former senior advisor to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and now a national security consultant. Speciale directly challenged Brennan during a conference panel that included another former CIA chief, Michael Hayden. His questions zeroed in on what many consider unresolved controversies: Brennan’s role in incorporating the discredited Steele dossier into the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) and his involvement in the 2020 letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials that dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop story as likely Russian disinformation.
Last night at a conference with former CIA Director Brennon I confronted him regarding the fake dossier and the Russia Collusion hoax. Listen to his response. Just FYI – I wasn’t uninvited to the afterhours. pic.twitter.com/sE96meMpHA
— Thomas A. Speciale II (@Speciale4VA) October 31, 2025
Brennan’s reaction was swift and unfiltered. “I don’t know who put you up to this,” he snapped, visibly irritated. “I don’t know who you are, but it’s a bunch of bullsh**t that you just passed on.” Speciale calmly replied, “The emails are clear, sir.”
That exchange prompted Hayden to jump in with a desperate chorus of “Next! Next! Next!” while Brennan waved off Speciale’s comments as “disinformation.” But the confrontation wasn’t over. Later, Speciale confronted Brennan again — this time face to face — about his decision to sign the intel letter on the Hunter Biden laptop. That letter, released weeks before the 2020 election, was widely used by Democrats and media outlets to discredit the New York Post’s bombshell reporting.
Pressed on why he signed the letter, Brennan got physical. He jabbed his finger toward Speciale and insisted, “We never said it was disinformation. We said it was Russian influence operations.” But when Speciale brought up former FBI Director James Comey — Brennan’s one-time counterpart — the ex-CIA chief turned and walked away.
This wasn’t just a tense Q&A. It was a rare moment of direct accountability for one of the most politically entrenched intelligence officials of the Obama era. Brennan has largely dodged sustained scrutiny despite his role in promoting the Steele dossier — a document now universally discredited, even by left-leaning outlets. The House Judiciary Committee, under the leadership of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), recently made a criminal referral to the Department of Justice for Brennan, alleging he made false statements to Congress.
After the conference on Thursday I confronted former CIA Director Brennan directly regarding his signing the 51 Intelligence Officers Memo knowing that the Hunter Biden laptop was real and not Russian disinformation. Watch his response. pic.twitter.com/blg86oBLRb
— Thomas A. Speciale II (@Speciale4VA) November 1, 2025
According to Jordan’s letter, Brennan’s claim that the CIA “was not involved at all” with the Steele dossier is flatly contradicted by declassified documents. A CIA officer reportedly drafted the annex containing a summary of the dossier. Brennan, alongside Comey, chose to include it in the ICA — even overruling senior CIA officers who objected.
Speciale, speaking to the Daily Caller News Foundation, said he wasn’t there as a political operative, but as someone seeking honest answers from a man he once respected. “These are the people that as career intelligence people we looked up to,” he said. “Why would you do these things?”
