Written by Hudson Crozier

What to know: While federal prosecutor David Weiss was investigating Hunter Biden in 2020, the FBI sent his office a New York Times story that discredited concerns about Hunter’s position at a Ukrainian company, according to newly released emails.

Why it matters: The story, citing FBI sources, suggested that scrutiny of the Biden family’s ties to Ukraine was driven by former President Donald Trump’s allies and therefore baseless. But the FBI already had credible information about an alleged bribery scheme involving Joe Biden and his son. Despite this, the bureau fed a misleading narrative both to the media and federal prosecutors.

Protecting the Bidens: IRS agents have also testified that they were never informed of the bribery claims while investigating Hunter, and the FBI reportedly gave limited information to Weiss’s office. While steering other agencies away from the scandal, the bureau has dragged on its own investigation for over three years.

Zoom out: In the same year, the FBI pressured social media platforms to censor reporting about Hunter’s laptop while knowing the laptop was real. This covered up even more information on Hunter’s use of his father’s influence overseas. Republicans have since revealed evidence of then-Vice President Joe Biden’s close involvement.