Stephen Holmes

Steven L. Hall (also known by the diplomatic cover name Stephen Holmes) is a retired American Central Intelligence Agency officer who served for 30 years before retiring in 2015. He was the CIA station chief at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, and later served as Chief of the Central Eurasia Division, overseeing intelligence operations in the countries of the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. His identity was publicly revealed by the Russian FSB in May 2013.

After retiring from the CIA, Hall became a CNN national security analyst and commentator on Russian affairs. In October 2020, he was among 51 former intelligence officials who signed a letter stating that reporting on Hunter Biden's laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation". In January 2025, President Donald Trump revoked the security clearances of all 51 signatories.

Career Hall joined the CIA in the mid-1980s and spent 30 years in the Clandestine Service, primarily managing intelligence operations in Eurasia and Latin America. He served as Chief of Station at multiple overseas posts and was a member of the Senior Intelligence Service, the cadre of senior-most leaders in the CIA's Clandestine Service.

Prior to his retirement, Hall served as Chief of the Central Eurasia Division, overseeing intelligence operations in the countries of the former Soviet Union and the former Warsaw Pact. At CIA headquarters, he also focused on cyber threats, security and counterintelligence, and counterterrorism. He served as the Clandestine Service's senior liaison officer to congressional intelligence oversight committees. The FSB stated it had warned the CIA station chief in October 2011 that it would take "symmetrical actions" if provocative recruitment attempts continued. He has also contributed opinion pieces to The Washington Post and appeared as a commentator on NPR. The letter stated the signatories did not know whether the emails were genuine and did not have evidence of Russian involvement. Legal experts described the mass revocation as unprecedented.