Joe Biden’s FBI accused of unprecedented stunt to keep his family’s alleged crimes secret
Republican senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson have written to the Justice Department, FBI and Office of the Director of National Intelligence demanding the declassification of documents relating to an FBI investigation into alleged wrongdoing by Joe Biden and his family, particularly Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine. The senators accuse the FBI under former director Christopher Wray of deliberately misclassifying material to make it harder for Congress and the public to access, raising questions about whether federal records and retention laws were properly followed.
The letter, sent on Monday to Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and DNI Jay Clayton, centres on an FBI operation codenamed "Round River", run from December 2019 by the Foreign Influence Task Force-Russia to gather intelligence on the Bidens. Grassley, who has investigated the operation since 2022, says internal 2019 FBI emails show officials were told by the bureau's legal office to classify material in a way that created "obstacles" to disclosure, and he alleges Wray may have withheld records from earlier congressional inquiries. The senators are seeking full declassification of the emails and related files, while noting that intelligence gathered on the Bidens was later dismissed by the FBI as "foreign disinformation".
- GOP senators demand declassification of FBI files on Biden family allegations
- They accuse former FBI chief Wray of deliberately obstructing disclosure
- Files relate to "Round River", a 2019 probe into Hunter Biden's Ukraine dealings
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The FBI is the US federal agency responsible for investigating federal crimes and gathering certain intelligence. Joe Biden was US president from 2021 to 2025; his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine have been the subject of political scrutiny and federal investigations.
Republican senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson say an FBI operation called Round River gathered intelligence about the Bidens from 2019. They allege that the bureau classified records in a way that made them harder for Congress to obtain, and are asking the Justice Department, FBI and intelligence director to declassify the files.
The dispute matters because it raises questions about how the FBI handled records and congressional requests for information. The allegations about the Bidens’ conduct and the senators’ claims about the FBI remain matters of dispute.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The FBI's obligation to Congress and the public demands transparency within legally appropriate bounds. If internal emails show FBI officials were instructed to classify material in ways that created obstacles to disclosure, that represents a misuse of classification authority to obstruct legitimate congressional oversight and shield officials from scrutiny. The public interest in understanding how federal law enforcement handles politically sensitive matters involving the nation's leadership outweighs narrow classification concerns, particularly when classification appears motivated by concealment rather than genuine security needs.
The case against
Foreign intelligence investigations require robust classification protections to preserve investigative methods, protect sources and methods, and prevent hostile actors from understanding US capabilities. An investigation into alleged foreign influence operations would legitimately involve classified intelligence, and proper classification decisions are made based on information available at the time. The later assessment that intelligence was foreign disinformation does not retroactively invalidate initial classification decisions. Demanding declassification of sensitive counterintelligence material could undermine national security and set a dangerous precedent that compromises the FBI's ability to investigate foreign interference operations.