The House Judiciary Committee, along with its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has released an interim report titled "Election Interference: How the FBI 'Prebunked' A True Story About the Biden Family's Corruption in Advance of the 2020 Presidential Election." The report examines how the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and major technology companies allegedly worked together to suppress claims about Biden family influence before the 2020 election.
According to testimony from key personnel within the FBI and tech companies, as well as subpoenaed documents obtained by the committee, there was coordination between these entities in the months leading up to the election. The FBI provided warnings to social media platforms about potential Russian influence operations targeting the 2020 election.
The warnings included:
- WHO: Russia. The FBI warned Big Tech repeatedly about a possible influence operation by Russian actors.
- WHAT: A hack-and-leak operation. The FBI indicated that this would likely take a similar form to the Democratic National Committee email leaks in 2016.
- WHEN: Late September or October 2020. Warnings suggested that this could occur right before the election, possibly as "an October surprise."
- WHY: To reveal "evidence" concerning "links between the Biden family and Ukraine," specifically mentioning Burisma.
The report details how, beginning in early 2020, federal agencies engaged in efforts to preemptively debunk—or "prebunk"—allegations related to Hunter Biden and Burisma. In response, some social media platforms adjusted their content moderation policies for handling hacked materials. When a New York Post article surfaced on October 14, 2020, alleging Biden family misconduct, these platforms reportedly acted on these policies by censoring and limiting its spread.
This action allegedly led millions of voters to remain unaware of significant allegations against one presidential candidate during their decision-making process. Today, according to admissions cited in the report, executives from these companies acknowledge that their censorship was incorrect. Despite being influenced by FBI suggestions regarding potential Russian disinformation related to Hunter Biden, internal communications show that senior executives were aware of how their decisions might impact perceptions by a potential incoming administration.
The full interim staff report is available for public viewing.
