Senator Chuck Grassley claims that multiple FBI whistleblowers, including those in senior positions, have alleged the bureau, along with the Department of Justice (DOJ), suppressed negative information about Hunter Biden prior to the 2020 election.
In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland dated July 25th, Grassley (R-IA), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, alleges a widespread effort to downplay negative information regarding the President’s son.
He points to having received “a significant number of protected communications from highly credible whistleblowers” that outline a concerted effort.
“The allegations provided to my office appear to indicate that there was a scheme in place among certain FBI officials to undermine derogatory information connected to Hunter Biden by falsely suggesting it was disinformation,” Grassley asserted.
“The information provided to my office involves concerns about the FBI’s receipt and use of derogatory information relating to Hunter Biden, and the FBI’s false portrayal of acquired evidence as disinformation,” he writes.
Grassley contends that the sheer volume and consistency of allegations “substantiate their credibility and necessitate this letter.”
NEW – Whistleblowers have come forward alleging a widespread effort within the FBI to downplay or discredit negative information about Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, according to letters reviewed by CBS News.https://t.co/4QBMRZIuhl
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 26, 2022
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FBI Tried to Suppress Negative Information on Hunter Biden in 2020
Grassley’s letter points to two specific allegations based on the whistleblowers’ complaints – One, that the FBI had information in 2020 on alleged “criminal financial and related activity” engaged in by Hunter Biden, and two, that the bureau allegedly set up a team to discredit negative information as ‘disinformation,’ a move that “caused investigative activity to cease.”
The top Republican senator suggests the new information reveals the formerly labeled ‘disinformation’ is now and truly “verified and verifiable.”
It would behoove politicians who have been screeching incessantly about ‘democratic norms’ and ‘election meddling’ to investigate the matter further and perhaps hold public hearings on how the intelligence community helped elect President Biden in 2020 by squashing negative news about his son.
This deserves at least as much attention as the one-sided Jan 6 hearing:
In October 2020, one month before the election, “an avenue of derogatory Hunter Biden reporting was ordered closed” by a senior FBI agent at the bureau’s Washington Field office. https://t.co/k4ZAFtQ3wF— David Asman (@DavidAsmanfox) July 26, 2022
RELATED: Report: Biden’s Brother James, Son Hunter Received 150+ ‘Concerning’ Payments
Controlled the Narrative
While it has become common knowledge that the media suppressed negative information coming out of Hunter Biden’s since verified laptop, and former intelligence officials similarly tried to downplay the scandal, Grassley’s whistleblowers provide a new angle on an active effort within the FBI and DOJ to control the narrative in 2020.
In October of 2020, for instance, Grassley contends that “an avenue of derogatory Hunter Biden reporting was ordered closed” by a senior FBI agent at the bureau’s Washington Field office.
Furthermore, he writes, FBI officials “subsequently attempted to improperly mark the matter in FBI systems so that it could not be opened in the future.”
Regarding the “criminal financial and related activity” alleged by Grassley, CBS News reports that the U.S. attorney in Delaware “has been investigating potential tax fraud, money laundering and foreign influence peddling.”
Documents obtained by Grassley and reported on in April demonstrated that prior to Joe Biden launching his presidential campaign, his brother James and Hunter received monthly retainers from a Chinese-financed consulting group totaling $165,000 — $100,000 to Hunter and $65,000 to James.
“We have people with the Biden name, dealing with Chinese business people that have a relationship to the Communist Party,” Grassley told CBS News at the time.
CBS News has learned that +150 transactions involving either Hunter or James Biden’s global business affairs were flagged as concerning by U.S. banks for further review. @ChuckGrassley spoke exclusively @CBS_Herridge about newly public bank records. pic.twitter.com/N31x5XtbZ5
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) April 6, 2022
Former intel officials were also guilty of feeding the media narrative that Hunter Biden’s laptop was ‘disinformation.’
In a letter signed by over 50 intelligence officials published just weeks before the election, the authors admitted they “do not know if the emails [on Hunter Biden’s laptop] … are genuine” and that they “do not have evidence of Russian involvement.”
They published the letter regardless, essentially citing a hunch.
They destroyed their reputations by signing this letter and then not recanting for 16 months and counting. Some of these people appear to this day on CNN and MSNBC as esteemed experts on the war in Ukraine. The least they should do is declare a conflict of interest. pic.twitter.com/36ituz51MU
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) March 17, 2022
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA Directors Mike Hayden, John Brennan, and Leon Panetta, all signed the letter.
Multiple major newspapers and outlets who previously reported dutifully on the laptop being misinformation would eventually confirm its existence – but not for roughly 16 months.
The New York Times reported on emails examined by prosecutors which purportedly reveal information about “foreign business activity” including the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, on whose board Hunter served.
In the category of – didn’t see this coming : The @nytimes confirms the authenticity of Hunter Biden emails derived from his laptop that had been previously dismissed as Russian disinformation. pic.twitter.com/nK7xnD0fP2
— Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff) March 17, 2022
Richard Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence, has called for a Senate investigation into the former senior intelligence officials’ letter prior to the 2020 election.
“A Republican Senate MUST hold hearings with all 50 of the people who signed that letter 3 weeks before the 2020 campaign,” Grenell tweeted.
“They all said Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation. And they didn’t have a single piece of intel to suggest it,” he added.
A Republican Senate MUST hold hearings with all 50 of the people who signed that letter 3 weeks before the 2020 campaign. They all said Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation. And they didn’t have a single piece of intel to suggest it.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 17, 2022
Thus far, nobody has been held accountable for the intentional spread of misinformation by labeling actual information as suspect.
The media have admitted their error, but only a solid 17 months after the fact. And even so, the former intel officers are still cited by multiple news sources as credible purveyors of the truth.
Will something change based on whistleblower information obtained by Grassley?
“Attorney General Garland and Director Wray, simply put, based on the allegations that I’ve received from numerous whistleblowers, you have systemic and existential problems within your agencies,” Grassley wrote.
“You have an obligation to the country to take these allegations seriously, immediately investigate.”
TIME Magazine published an investigative piece titled, “The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election,” in February of 2021.
The secret history of the shadow campaign that saved the 2020 electionhttps://t.co/xG3S60cP2L
— TIME (@TIME) February 5, 2021
“A well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage, and control the flow of information,” Time revealed.
Were some of those powerful people at the FBI and the DOJ? Only time will tell.