Michael Morell, the former CIA director under Barack Obama, made a $1,000 donation to Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign in November, as per campaign disclosures. Morell, however, gained notoriety for organizing a letter from 51 former spy chiefs, falsely claiming that reports on Hunter Biden’s “Laptop from Hell” by the New York Post were Russian disinformation. This claim, proven false by Biden’s Justice Department in 2024, had significant repercussions, with media outlets like CNN and The Washington Post taking over a year to admit the story’s authenticity.
Despite Morell’s controversial past, he is now supporting Haley’s presidential bid for 2024. Haley, with her stance against several America First policies, holds differing views on foreign policy, free speech, government spending, and social policy. For instance, she advocates for the verification of every person on social media by their real names, supports using American taxpayer funds to defend Ukraine’s eastern border, and is against government intervention if parents opt for irreversible, life-altering “transgender” surgery for their children. Additionally, Haley backs the importation of migrants for jobs that might otherwise go to better-paid Americans.
Haley’s ties to the administrative state and her stance on military engagement have raised eyebrows. She has called for bombing Iran and escalating U.S. military confrontations with Russia, China, and adversaries across the Middle East. One of her close campaign strategists, Jon Lerner, is associated with the Vandenberg Coalition, a neoconservative group striving to boost support for increased U.S. military engagement overseas.
FEC records indicate that numerous high-ranking former intelligence and national security officials, including Doug Feith, undersecretary for defense policy for Bush and a key figure in the Iraq War push, are backing Haley’s presidential bid. Despite Haley’s alignment with establishment interests and neoconservative ideologies, she has garnered support among Republicans seeking an alternative to Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary. The financial dynamics of the presidential race show that Trump spent significantly less than his rivals in New Hampshire and Iowa, emphasizing his frugality in campaign spending.
