Newly released internal FBI chat logs show that bureau officials actively worked to suppress information related to Hunter Biden’s laptop on October 14, 2020—the same day the New York Post published its initial report on the matter.
The revelations, made public by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, provide fresh insight into what lawmakers are calling a deliberate effort to downplay the story as millions of Americans were casting their votes in the 2020 election.
The documents include messages between senior FBI officials and analysts that appear to direct staff not to engage in any discussion about the contents of the laptop, despite the FBI having had the device in its possession since December 2019.
One internal message dated October 14, 2020, reads: “Please do not discuss Biden matter.” At that time, the FBI had already verified the laptop’s authenticity, according to congressional testimony.
In a hearing before Congress, Laura Dehmlow, who was then serving as the chief of the FBI’s China unit in the Foreign Influence Task Force, confirmed that Twitter had reached out to the FBI to ask whether the laptop was real.
“Somebody from Twitter essentially asked whether the laptop was real. And one of the FBI folks… did confirm that, yes, it was — before another participant jumped in and said no further comment,” Dehmlow testified.
Chat logs show that the FBI analyst who confirmed the authenticity of the laptop was later told to “shut up” and received what has been described as a gag order from a senior FBI attorney.
One message from that day reads, “NOPE… just a domestic hit job, yay,” while another asks, “You guys are tracking the coverage of the laptop right?”
The response: “Tried to thread a smallll needle there.”
Messages involving the FBI’s Office of General Counsel stated clearly, “Nobody on call is authorized to comment.”
That guidance was repeated throughout the day with additional instructions such as “Please do not discuss Biden matter” and “We cannot comment.”
The FBI’s decision to restrict internal and external discussion of the laptop’s contents took place while social media companies, including Facebook and Twitter, were consulting with federal agencies on election-related disinformation.
Previously released internal Facebook communications showed that company executives discussed the suppression of the New York Post story in part to “calibrate” favor with a potentially incoming Biden-Harris administration.
The laptop in question was handed over to the FBI by Delaware computer repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac in December 2019.
It contained emails and files detailing Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, some of which raised questions about the involvement of other members of the Biden family.
According to the Judiciary Committee, the FBI had already verified the laptop months before the Post report went live.
In an interim report, the committee stated: “While the FBI eventually conceded that it had no indication the allegations in the Post story were Russian disinformation, the FBI still withheld the fact that it had seized and authenticated Hunter Biden’s laptop months prior.”
The report calls the FBI’s actions a form of interference in the 2020 election.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, criticized the agency last year for misleading the public and playing a role in the censorship of truthful reporting.
“If the FBI’s intent was truly to combat foreign interference, they would have told the truth — not imposed a gag order,” Jordan said.
The Foreign Influence Task Force, the unit responsible for the bureau’s so-called “pre-bunking” operations, has since been disbanded.
That move came under pressure from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, according to statements from the Judiciary GOP.
The fallout from the suppression of the laptop story continues to raise concerns about federal influence over public discourse during critical election periods.
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I think th NY Post has standing for a lawsuit as they’ve been damaged by FBI obfuscation and outright lying in their participation in letter of 51. Russian disinformation? Yeah, right……..