On Thursday, Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan's podcast that the FBI contacted Facebook telling them to "be on high alert" about alleged "Russian propaganda" before the Hunter Biden laptop story was published. Meta CEO added that the story's "distribution on Facebook was decreased," noting that "fewer people saw it than would've otherwise." When asked by Rogan about how many people did not see the story as a result of the policy, Zuckerberg said he didn't know for sure, but the number was "meaningful."
Many US journalists and politicians took to Twitter, calling it a "damning example" of how governments and big corporations are colluding to silence news stories, with Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway saying that "the FBI rigged the 2020 election."
"The FBI colluded with Big Tech to silence news stories weeks before the 2020 election in an attempt to control your access to information. Democrats in Congress have been intentionally ignoring the facts. When Republicans are back in charge, we will hold all of them accountable," US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a tweet.
US Senator Josh Hawley also went on Twitter saying that "the FBI preemptively warned Facebook off Hunter Biden laptop reporting. This same agency effectively laundered Russian disinfo in the 2016 election in the form of Steele dossier. And later lied to a court to get wiretaps."
Hunter Biden leaves after President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 people during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 7, 2022
© AP Photo / Susan Walsh
Fox News contributor Byron York, in turn, said that "the FBI was on the lookout for anything that might damage the Biden campaign. Warned Facebook. Facebook acted on warning and suppressed an accurate story about Hunter Biden."
"Interesting that Facebook suppressed none of the fake negative stories about Trump as a result of this FBI warning," Republican advisor and strategist Matt Wolking said on Twitter.
Hunter Biden reportedly abandoned his laptop at Isaac's repair shop in 2019, while his father, Joe Biden, was running to become US president. The contents of the laptop were later made public. Emails obtained by Western media from the laptop proved Russia's claims that the US president's son helped fund bioweapon research in Ukraine.
The Bidens have faced scrutiny and criticism from Republicans and others for their alleged misconduct in Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, which came into the public spotlight following the release of the emails.