Staff Reports
A prominent attorney claimed that the FBI deceived the public while working with various social media companies ahead of the 2020 presidential election in a case known as Missouri v. Biden.
According to Sauer, the White House and the FBI tried to suppress various issues, including the attempt by the FBI to mislead social media platforms about the laptop of Hunter Biden.
In 2019, the FBI seized the laptop of Hunter Biden as part of an investigation regarding his business dealings. Rudy Giuliani, the attorney for Donald Trump, was able to obtain a copy of the device and pass it on to the New York Post. The newspaper reported that it contained a story about Joe Biden, who was then the candidate for the Democratic Party. The FBI then warned social media companies about a potential "hack-and-dump" incident. After the story was published, the companies contacted the FBI to verify the authenticity of the information.
FBI 'engaged in deception' with Hunter Biden laptop, Missouri v. Biden attorney says https://t.co/RXcNjls2QY
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 11, 2023
The evidence revealed by the judiciary committee and the judge in the case revealed that the FBI had intentionally misled the platforms about a hacking operation. They then tried to imply that it was Russia's disinformation campaign even though they knew it was not.
An attorney for the Biden administration, Daniel Tenny, noted that the FBI's policy is not to discuss ongoing investigations. Others, however, believe that the agency's actions were politically motivated.
In May 2022, the attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri sued the Biden administration, claiming that they had violated the First Amendment by coordinating with the social media companies. A few months later, a judge issued a preliminary injunction, which prevented the government from communicating with the companies.
According to Doughty, the actions of the government were akin to an "Orwellian Ministry of Truth." The Biden administration appealed the ruling, which will now be decided by the 5th Circuit.
