In a stunning revelation, the attorney for Rudy Giuliani has alleged that FBI agents deliberately sidestepped seizing hard drives linked to Hunter Biden during a raid on Giuliani’s properties in 2021.
FBI agents conducted a raid on Rudy Giuliani’s apartment and office in 2021 as part of an investigation. During the operation, despite a warrant mandating the collection of all electronic devices, agents reportedly declined to take hard drives connected to Hunter Biden, who was under scrutiny for potential tax fraud at the time. Robert Costello, Giuliani’s lawyer, shared these details on a recent episode of the podcast “Pod Force One,” released on a Wednesday.
The issue has sparked intense debate over the FBI’s handling of politically sensitive material. Many question why agents would treat certain evidence as untouchable, especially when linked to high-profile figures.
Costello recounted a striking moment from the raid, painting a picture of deliberate avoidance. “Now ask yourself this question. Why would they treat those hard drives as radioactive?” he asked, suggesting the FBI knew the drives held legitimate, damaging information.
These hard drives were tied to The New York Post’s October 2020 reports on Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Ukrainian and Chinese energy firms, allegedly using his father’s influence as vice president.
The FBI had verified the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop as early as November 2019 after taking custody of it. Yet, during the raid, agents seemingly wanted no part of the associated evidence.
The FBI had informed Twitter content moderators in October 2020 that the laptop’s emails were real when The Post first published its story. Despite this, weekly meetings with Twitter before the report included warnings of potential “hack-and-leak operations” by state actors involving Hunter Biden. Twitter’s then-head of site integrity, Yoel Roth, later admitted these warnings were confusing.
Meanwhile, 51 former U.S. intelligence officials, including notable names like John Brennan and James Clapper, signed a letter days after The Post’s report, hinting it might be a Russian disinformation effort. This move, coupled with Twitter locking The Post’s account, fueled perceptions of a coordinated effort to bury the story.
Costello didn’t hold back on his view of the broader implications. “The FBI raid and the bureau’s other actions to downplay the damning details in The Post’s report was the best proof of election interference in the 2020 campaign,” he asserted.
Subsequent investigations by federal and congressional bodies confirmed that the Biden family received millions from foreign patrons. However, Special Counsel David Weiss later concluded he couldn’t prove these dealings violated laws on unregistered foreign lobbying.
Costello also pointed to unverified claims of a $10 million payment to Hunter and Joe Biden from a Ukrainian energy executive. While these allegations remain unsubstantiated, they add fuel to the narrative of potential impropriety that Giuliani has long pushed.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles eventually led to guilty pleas in 2024 for tax fraud and illegal handgun possession. Weeks before leaving office, Joe Biden issued a pardon for his son.
Giuliani himself faced severe repercussions, including部分ing disbarred, a move Costello ties to broader cultural shifts. The timing and context of this penalty suggest to some a targeted effort to silence dissenting voices.
The laptop saga, paired with Giuliani’s downfall, paints a troubling picture of power dynamics in modern politics. When evidence is deemed too “hot” to handle and reputations are dismantled, trust in institutions erodes further.
Ultimately, this story is about whether the public can rely on equal application of justice or if political clout dictates outcomes. That’s the question lingering long after the raid.
