Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Facebook suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story after receiving false information from the FBI, which warned of a potential Russian disinformation operation that never materialized.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook made an error in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 election, following warnings from the FBI about a potential Russian disinformation operation. In a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Zuckerberg explained that the FBI had alerted them to possible Russian disinformation targeting President Joe Biden's family. As a result, Facebook chose to demote a New York Post article alleging corruption involving the Biden family.
Zuckerberg noted that the story was sent to fact-checkers and was temporarily downplayed until further verification. However, he acknowledged that the reporting was not part of any disinformation campaign. "In retrospect, we shouldn’t have demoted the story," Zuckerberg said, emphasizing that Meta has since revised its policies to avoid similar mistakes. "We no longer temporarily demote content in the U.S. while waiting for fact-checkers," he added.
This revelation follows testimony from Breitbart News Political Editor Emma-Jo Morris, who told the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government that the FBI was aware of the Hunter Biden laptop's legitimacy as early as December 2019. Morris had published her explosive story in October 2020, but despite the FBI’s prior knowledge, Facebook and Twitter both suppressed the article, citing concerns over Russian disinformation.
Zuckerberg reiterated that Facebook’s actions were influenced by the FBI’s warnings ahead of the election, leading to the temporary demotion of the New York Post story concerning then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's family.
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