FBI Official Removed After Role in Hunter Biden Laptop Scandal and Social Media Censorship: Report
Elvis Chan, a prominent FBI official who played a central role in the bureau’s cyber efforts, has been removed from his position in the FBI’s San Francisco division.
Chan, who was connected to the FBI’s involvement in censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story and to the bureau’s broader anti-disinformation efforts, has been placed on “terminal leave.”
Sources close to the matter confirmed this development to Just the News, though the FBI itself declined to comment on the specifics of his removal.
The controversy surrounding Chan stems from his involvement in discussions with social media companies like Twitter, now X, and Facebook during the critical period leading up to the 2020 presidential election.
The FBI was accused of working with these platforms to suppress the New York Post’s bombshell reporting on Hunter Biden’s business dealings, particularly regarding China and Ukraine.
In October 2020, when the outlet attempted to share its articles, Twitter flagged them for violating its policy against the distribution of “hacked materials,” a decision that was later criticized by many, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Chan, who had previously defied a subpoena issued by the House Judiciary Committee to testify about his role, is now facing increasing scrutiny.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the committee’s chairman, highlighted Chan’s role as the FBI’s main liaison to social media companies through the Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF).
He suggested that Chan could offer key insights into how the FBI may have influenced tech platforms to censor the Hunter Biden story.
At the heart of the controversy is the FBI’s apparent reluctance to acknowledge the authenticity of the Hunter Biden laptop in 2020, even though the agency had already verified its legitimacy in late 2019—nearly a year before the public revelation of its contents.
This raised serious questions about the FBI’s timing and motivations.
A group of 51 former intelligence officials had issued a letter falsely claiming that the laptop had all the characteristics of Russian disinformation, which the Biden campaign later used as a debate talking point.
Despite Chan’s denials of direct involvement in censoring The Post’s story, newly uncovered communications between FBI agents and social media platforms suggest otherwise.
Internal messages indicate that the FBI had knowledge of the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden and may have played a role in shaping the responses that tech companies gave regarding the laptop’s authenticity.
Chan’s testimony during a 2022 lawsuit over social media censorship confirmed that the FBI had been actively involved in working with platforms to remove content deemed to be disinformation.
Beyond the Hunter Biden issue, Chan’s tenure at the FBI involved his leadership of a team focused on cyber and national security matters, particularly in relation to foreign disinformation campaigns.
Chan’s background also includes his 2021 thesis on Russian disinformation efforts during the 2020 election, although the document makes no reference to the Hunter Biden controversy.
As a key player in the FBI’s cybersecurity division, Chan’s actions have been part of a broader investigation into how government agencies and social media platforms collaborated during the election period, Just the News reports.
Chan’s recent removal marks the latest chapter in a saga that has raised concerns about government overreach, censorship and the impact of federal agencies on social media’s content moderation policies.
House Republicans continue to pursue an investigation into the FBI’s involvement in censoring the Hunter Biden story, calling for accountability for actions that they argue interfered with the election.
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