Written by Hudson Crozier

What’s happening: The Department of Justice stopped employees from investigating President Joe Biden for bribery in 2020, falsely labeling evidence as foreign disinformation to protect his bid for reelection, according to reporting from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and recent House testimony.

• Catch up: The FBI interviewed an informant in 2020 who alleged that Biden, as vice president, accepted a bribe from a Ukrainian executive at his son Hunter’s company.

Lying: Around a month after the interview, FBI agents circulated a story that the intelligence report stemmed from Russian disinformation, according to Sen. Grassley, who cited “information, records, and … Justice Department whistleblowers.”

• Note: The lie was allegedly promoted by the Foreign Influence Task Force — the same FBI unit that encouraged online platforms to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story while knowing it was real.

Obstructing: Former prosecutor Scott Brady testified that he could not investigate Biden’s Ukraine ties efficiently because of the DOJ’s unusual “reluctance.” Officials added hurdles by failing to communicate and requiring approval for too many tasks, Brady said. The attorney acknowledged that the scandal was “sensitive” for the DOJ because Biden was running for reelection.

Why it matters: The FBI had a total of 40 informants who “provided criminal information relating to Joe Biden, James Biden, and Hunter Biden,” Grassley’s office found. Brady said his team thought the bribery claims alone warranted a grand jury investigation of the now-president.

• Going forward: Biden’s ties to foreign countries are now the focus of a House impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, Grassley is demanding documents from the DOJ to potentially expose corrupt employees.