BREAKING: FBI agent Elvis Chan subpoenaed by Judiciary Committee over suppression of Hunter Biden laptop story

On Friday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan subpoenaed FBI Special Agent in Charge Elvis Chan, and ordered him to appear for a deposition on September 21.

The subpoena comes after Biden’s Department of Justice blocked Chan from appearing for a voluntary interview before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday morning. 

"The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of how and to what extent the Executive Branch has coerced and colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor speech," the letter to Chan began.

"To develop effective legislation, such as the possible enactment of new statutory limits on the Executive Branch’s ability to work with social media platforms and other companies to restrict the circulation of content and deplatform users, the Committee on the Judiciary must first understand the nature of this collusion and coercion."

Jordan wrote that as the "primary liaison between the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Fogreign Task Force (FITF) and social media companies, you are uniquely positioned to aid the Committee’s oversight."

Jordan stated that the committee’s investigation, as well as "publicized discovery in an ongoing federal court case, Missouri v Biden, have exposed how the federal government has pressured and colluded with Big Tech and other intermediaries to censor certain viewpoints on social and other media in ways that undermine First Amendment principles."

"The scope of the Committee’s investigation includes understanding the extent and nature of the FBI’s involvement in this censorship," Jordan wrote. "For example, through its investigation, the Committee has uncovered evidence that appears to contradict several statements in your deposition in Missouri v Biden, particularly as they relate to your communications with social media platforms."

In an October 2022 deposition, Chan said that the FBI had not communicated with Facebook aside from a meeting that took place the day the story broke.

The Judiciary Committee obtained internal documents that revealed Chan had a follow-up call with Facebook the following day.

Despite having claimed in his deposition that he had "no internal knowledge of that investigation," the documents showed that Chan said "there was no current evidence to suggest any foreign connection or direction of the leak" of information related to Hunter Biden "as published in the New York Post story."

Jordan wrote that the committee had been willing to proceed with a transcribed interview with Chan under established protocols, but added that after repeated requests, "the FBI agreed to schedule your interview for September 15, 2023, with full knowledge of the Committee’s longstanding protocol for conducting transcribed interviews."

"Then, only three days before your scheduled interview, you and the FBI requested special treatment to deviate from this protocol, which the Committee repeatedly and clearly denied. Just one day before your scheduled transcribed interview, you threatened to withdraw your appearance due to this disagreement and today you failed to appear for your interview."

Two sources with knowledge of the situation told the Daily Mail that the DOJ had derailed testimony because agency counsel also appeared on Friday morning, against policy that allows either agency counsel or personal counsel to appear alongside the witness.

The FBI denied this, saying that, "Today, after an FBI employee traveled across the country to voluntarily participate in a scheduled interview, he was denied the right to have his chosen legal counsel accompany him."

"Upon arrival at the Capitol, Committee staff directed agency counsel to leave the premises, and the interview was unable to 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 take part in a voluntary interview with appropriate legal representation."

"The FBI recognizes the importance of congressional oversight and will continue to proceed in accordance with the long established accommodations process."