Weeks before the 2020 election, the New York Post unveiled a potentially game-changing report about Hunter Biden’s laptop, which the FBI had verified nearly a year earlier.
A 2022 survey indicated that many Americans believed President Donald Trump might have secured re-election if voters had known the Post’s report was valid.
Sensing the potential impact of the story, liberal media, social media platforms, former intelligence officials, and other politically driven entities moved to undermine and suppress the report.
The FBI played a significant role in this campaign to mislead the American public. According to chat logs shared by Republicans on the House Committee on the Judiciary, the bureau not only misled social media companies into thinking the Post story was Russian disinformation but also actively discouraged employees from discussing the laptop’s authenticity, even imposing a “gag order” on the matter.
On October 14, 2020, the day the Post’s story broke, an unnamed individual informed Elvis Chan, the assistant special agent in charge of the San Francisco FBI field office’s cyber program, about the “gag order.”
A congressional report from October 2024 by the House Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government identified Chan as the key contact at the FBI for meetings with Big Tech that led to the early dismissal of the laptop story in 2020.
When asked if anyone was discussing the New York Post article on the Bidens, Chan confirmed there was an active investigation but withheld further comment. It failed to disclose that it possessed and had authenticated the laptop—a crucial fact.
Michael Shellenberger’s investigative group, Public, which first reported on the FBI chat messages, noted that “c d” likely referred to the bureau’s Criminal Division. Chan inquired about the nature of the laptop case, wondering if it involved corruption or campaign financing. Another FBI employee, whose identity was redacted, responded with “CLOSE HOLD,” followed by a blacked-out message. Chan expressed concern, stating, “oh crap,” and noted, “ok. It ends here.”
In another set of messages, one FBI employee told another that no one on the call was authorized to comment on the New York Post story. Another employee replied, “gotta love it.” A bureau insider emphasized, “do not discuss Biden matter.”
The messages made it clear the FBI was aware of ongoing efforts to discredit the story. One employee noted that “Twitter is treating [the story] as disinformation.”
Following the Post story’s publication, the FBI clammed up, refusing to provide censorious social media companies with more details and repeatedly leaning on the response “no comment,” as indicated by the newly released chat messages.
The Judiciary report noted that while the FBI clarified it had no specific evidence of a Russian hack-and-leak operation in communications with social media platforms, it failed to disclose that it possessed and had authenticated the laptop—a key fact that likely would have ended any justification for censorship.
The report highlighted that if the FBI’s intent was truly to help social media companies combat actual foreign influence operations, the FBI should have shared the most crucial fact: the influence-peddling allegations in the Post story were based on real, credible information, including information in the FBI’s possession.
The FBI failed to do so. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) responded to the revelations about the gag order, stating, “The FBI’s groupchats revealed they were directly involved in election interference,” and questioned, “Where is the outrage?”
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton echoed similar sentiments, asking, “When will there be a criminal investigation?” The situation raises concerns about the role of federal agencies in shaping election narratives and the consequences of their actions. Conservative voices argue that transparency and accountability should be prioritized to maintain public trust.
Critics of the FBI’s handling of the situation contend that the bureau overstepped its bounds and interfered in political matters. The episode has fueled ongoing debates about media bias and the influence of Big Tech on public discourse. Many conservatives believe that ensuring fair and balanced reporting is essential for a healthy democracy.
The Hunter Biden laptop story continues to be a contentious topic, with lasting implications for media integrity and government accountability. The revelations highlight the need for vigilance in protecting the free flow of information and preventing undue influence on electoral processes. As discussions continue, the focus remains on ensuring that similar situations are handled with transparency and honesty in the future.
4 Comments
Whoever can be clearly identified as a participant in the deliberate suppression of the laptop’s authenticity should be exposed, investigated, and if provable, indicted and prosecuted under all relevant federal statutes. A simple discharge from employment is insufficient, as that election interference likely changed the election outcome.
And yet a complicit Congress is unmoved!
So how many FBI agents are going to prison for election interference. These corrupt agents should not get special treatment for what they did to the American people Biden destroyed our country for 4 years and these corrupt democrat agents get off Scott free. They all need to be put in prison for Treason for the rest of their lives with no possibility of parole. They all destroyed our country.
There are laws already on election interference and Treason in this country so why aren’t these corrupt FBI agents and top head executives of the FBI not in prison already. Why with all this information do these democrat corrupt people get a pass. You had what 51 lying agents sign a document saying the laptop was Russian disinformation these agents committed Treason and corruption. They changed the course of a federal election with their bogus documents and they aren’t in prison yet. These agent and others need to be held accountable for committing major crimes. Start explaining that to the American people who got screwed for 4 years of Biden’s fraud presidency. This was the biggest corruption democrats have ever done to this country and not one person is in prison yet. What total B.S.