Rob Reiner, the acclaimed director of classics like The Princess Bride and Misery, plunged deep into the Russiagate frenzy by founding the Committee to Investigate Russia in 2017—a slick nonprofit designed to hammer home the narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Teaming up with former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper for high-profile interviews and advisory roles, Reiner amplified claims that Trump was compromised by Putin, framing it as an “attack on democracy.” This wasn’t casual activism; Reiner’s group, backed by figures like Clapper (a central player in the Intelligence Community Assessment pushing Russian collusion), aggressively promoted the storyline that fueled years of investigations, media hysteria, and institutional sabotage against a sitting president. While presented as non-partisan public education, it aligned perfectly with the deep state’s efforts to delegitimize Trump’s victory, turning Hollywood star power into a weapon for the anti-Trump resistance.

Reiner’s ties to the intelligence community raised eyebrows precisely because of his unlikely role as a frontman for ex-spooks like Brennan and Clapper. No evidence shows direct CIA employment or operational links—Reiner was a vocal critic of the agency in other contexts, like his podcast accusing it of involvement in the JFK assassination. But his collaboration with Brennan (who briefed Obama on alleged Russian plots) and Clapper (who oversaw the flawed ICA) positioned him as a celebrity conduit for their post-retirement messaging. The Committee, financed through private donations and Reiner’s own resources as a wealthy activist (no public records tie it to government funds), served as a propaganda hub aggregating “Russia threat” stories. In a Darwinian political arena, this wasn’t innocent concern—it’s the wolves of the establishment using a Hollywood predator to devour electoral legitimacy, all while cloaked in patriotic rhetoric.

The real question gnawing at everyone: why a filmmaker like Reiner, with no intelligence background, at the heart of this? Ideological fury and Hollywood’s long flirtation with power explain it— the industry has collaborated with agencies for decades, from Cold War propaganda films to modern script vetting. The CIA did secretly fund abstract expressionism in the 1950s as cultural warfare against the Soviets, proving their taste for “inorganic” art that advances agendas. Reiner’s obsession fit the pattern: tit-for-tat alignment with elites who view Trump as an existential threat. In this savage fight for America’s soul, Reiner chose the pack of deep-state predators over the people’s choice, baring fangs through celebrity venom. Wake up—such “activism” isn’t organic; it’s the primal hunt disguised as principle, and it nearly culled a presidency. Sharpen claws or get devoured.