The Justice Department staged a last-minute maneuver to prevent an FBI agent allegedly involved in Big Tech’s suppression of Hunter Biden’s laptop story from testifying before Congress.
The House Judiciary Committee is investigating whether Hunter Biden’s laptop was downplayed by social media companies. As part of the investigation, Chairman Jim Jordan revealed that an FBI agent involved in the saga – Elvis Chan – had lied about the computer.
Chan had agreed to appear voluntarily on Friday to testify before the committee and be represented by his personal lawyer.
Agency witnesses may bring either an agency advisor or a personal advisor to committee interviews, but not both. According to the committee, the rule is designed to allow agency witnesses to testify more openly without fear of professional retaliation.
But two sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell that the Justice Department derailed the statement because an agency lawyer also showed up Friday morning. As a result, Chan’s interview did not take place as planned.
Now, an official subpoena is expected to be issued later on Friday for Chan to appear for a transcribed interview next Thursday, September 21st.
The FBI disputed claims that the Justice Department prevented Chan from testifying, calling it a “significant departure” from normal procedures.
The FBI knew the laptop obtained by the New York Post belonged to Hunter Biden and the photos (above) of him in a drug-addled state were real, but refused to confirm its authenticity to Facebook and Twitter, Jim Jordan claimed
Elvis Chan served as a liaison between the FBI and major technology companies
“Today, after an FBI employee traveled across the country to voluntarily participate in a scheduled interview, he was denied the right to be accompanied by his chosen legal counsel,” an FBI spokesperson told .
“Upon arrival at the Capitol, committee staff instructed the agency’s attorney to leave the premises and the interview could not proceed. This is a significant departure from normal procedures and an unnecessary escalation of this committee’s treatment of FBI officials. The FBI employee remains willing to participate in a voluntary interview with appropriate legal representation.’
“The FBI recognizes the importance of congressional oversight and will continue to act consistent with the long-established adjustment process,” the spokesperson continued.
The spokesman also noted that more than a dozen other FBI employees participated in interviews with the committee without incident.
Last month, Jordan released excerpts from the testimony of Chan, who served as one of the FBI’s liaisons with technology companies, and Laura Dehmlow, the current FBI Foreign Influence Task Force division chief.
Chan testified in November 2022 as part of Missouri and Louisiana’s lawsuit against the federal government and the Biden administration for collaborating with social media companies to censor speech.
Jordan said Chan held repeated meetings with Facebook about the laptop but testified he only had one meeting. He also testified that he was unaware of the internal debate over the laptop, but told a colleague he was “in the loop.”
Dehmlow spoke to the Jordanian committee without incident earlier this summer.
Jordan said Dehmlow revealed how the FBI knew the laptop was not a fake or a plant, but refused to confirm its authenticity to social media companies.
Jordan recently released internal Facebook documents that led to bombshell revelations about Hunter Biden’s laptop, arguing that it proved the FBI knew the laptop was real and belonged to him – but refused to admit that fact to Facebook and Twitter confirm.
That decision led to the New York Post’s report about the laptop being blocked by social media companies, which called it disinformation.
“Internal FB documents reveal that an FBI special agent made false statements in his deposition about the FBI’s role in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story,” Jordan tweeted last month.
Jordan explained in a Twitter thread how the New York Post published its first story on October 14, 2020 about the laptop Biden left behind at a repair shop in Delaware.
The laptop contained damning images of Hunter taking drugs and enjoying the company of prostitutes.
It also contained emails and vast amounts of information about his business dealings.
The day the Post published its story, Chan and Dehmlow met with representatives from Twitter and then Facebook.
The Twitter team asked if the FBI believed Hunter Biden’s laptop was real: One FBI representative responded “Yes,” and another quickly replied, “No comment.”
Dehmlow told Jordan’s committee that there was then internal consultation and it was decided that the answer from then on would be “no comment.”
At the next meeting with Facebook, Dehmlow herself told Facebook, “No comment,” when asked if the laptop was real.
“It was an ongoing investigation and we generally do not comment on ongoing investigative matters when asked to do so,” she told Jordan’s committee.
Jordan said Monday: “Did Dehmlow know the FBI had the laptop and that it was real?” Yes.
“Did other key members of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force know?” Yes.
“The FBI knew the laptop was real, but still decided it would say ‘No Comment’.”
“We know what happened next.”
“Twitter and Facebook censored the @nypost story.
“The Biden campaign secretly set in motion the events that led to the 51 former intelligence officials discrediting the story as Russian disinformation.”
Jordan and his allies believe the FBI worked to discredit the story in order to downplay it and help Joe Biden’s election chances.
Late last year, Jordan then used excerpts from Chan’s statement.
Chan was asked by Missouri and Louisiana officials whether he was involved in any meetings with Facebook after Oct. 14 where Hunter Biden’s laptop was discussed.
Chan replied that he didn’t think so.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan is investigating Big Tech’s alleged suppression of the Hunter laptop story
Chan was asked by Missouri and Louisiana officials whether he was involved in any meetings with Facebook after Oct. 14 where Hunter Biden’s laptop was discussed
“I was confident that I was not involved in any meeting with social media companies where Hunter Biden was discussed, other than the one incident I told you about,” Chan said.
However, Jordan said that his committee “recently obtained an internal Facebook document proving that Agent Chan had a secret follow-up conversation with Facebook via the laptop on October 15, just one day after the @nypost story and the first Facebook.” -History of Hunter Biden led to ‘meet!’
Jordan noted that Chan also claimed he had “no internal knowledge of this.” [the FBI’s] investigation” into Hunter Biden’s laptop, but according to internal Facebook documents, he told a colleague that he was “updated on the current status of the matter with the FBI.”
Jordan added: “Is it any wonder why the Biden DOJ has so far blocked the committee’s efforts to question Agent Chan?”
The committee still plans to get to the bottom of the “lie” when Chan sits down with them next week.