James Clapper now claims he didn’t call Hunter Biden laptop ‘Russian disinfo’

A key signer of the open letter that wrongly suggested The Post’s bombshell reporting on Hunter Biden’s emails was part of a “Russian information operation” has accused Politico of distorting “what we said” — more than two years after the fact.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper tried Monday to tamp down the growing controversy over the letter that he and 50 other ex-spooks signed after The Post first revealed the existence of the first son’s infamous laptop in October 2020.

Their public statement, now the subject of investigations by the Republican-led House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, was first reported by Politico and later seized on by then-candidate Joe Biden.

“There was message distortion,” Clapper told the Washington Post. “All we were doing was raising a yellow flag that this could be Russian disinformation. Politico deliberately distorted what we said. It was clear in paragraph five.”

Clapper — who in 2013 falsely told Congress that the US didn’t “wittingly” collect the telephone records of millions of Americans — also claimed to have been unaware of how Joe Biden described the letter during a debate with then-President Donald Trump, according to the Washington Post.

Clapper’s comments came 11 months after the Washington Post authenticated almost 22,000 emails from the laptop and determined that Hunter Biden and his uncle, first brother James Biden, were paid $4.8 million by a Chinese energy company and its executives.

They also followed the recent “Twitter Files” revelations about the FBI’s alleged role in suppressing the New York Post’s blockbuster scoops about Hunter Biden’s laptop.

In the wake of The Post’s coverage, Politico reported on the letter in which Clapper and the others — including five ex-CIA chiefs — said that the release of Hunter Biden’s emails “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

“Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say,” Politico’s headline said.

Then-candidate Joe Biden referenced the unfounded allegation during his final debate with Donald Trump, calling The Post’s reporting on his son’s emails a “Russian plan” and “a bunch of garbage.”

Earlier this month, the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees demanded interviews with Clapper and 11 other letter signers.

They include former acting CIA Director Michael Morell, who the Washington Post said Monday had organized the open letter.

Also on the list is Thomas Fingar, a former top State Department intelligence official, who also blasted Politico to the Washington Post.

“No one who has spent time in Washington should be surprised that journalists and politicians willfully or unintentionally misconstrue oral or written statements,” Fingar said.

“The statement we signed was carefully written to minimize the likelihood that what was said would be misconstrued, and to provide a clear written record that could be used to identify and disprove distortions.”

Subpoenas will likely be issued if the ex-officials refuse to appear voluntarily, a GOP congressional source has said.

Politico stood by its story and headline in a statement to the Washington Post.

“The article fairly and accurately reported on — and summarized — the intelligence officials’ letter,” the statement said.

“More specifically, the headline is a fair summary of their allegations, the subhead offers additional context, and the first paragraph of the article hyperlinks to the letter itself, allowing readers to draw their own conclusion.”