FBI Places Biden-Era Censorship Architect on Terminal Leave

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Elvis Chan has reportedly been placed on terminal leave by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to sources who spoke with Independent Newsroom.

The agency has allegedly blocked Chan from accessing his devices for more than a month.

Chan has become a central figure in ongoing investigations into alleged government-led censorship of social media platforms.

🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨

FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Elvis Chan has been placed on “terminal leave” and has not accessed his agency devices for over a month, sources confirm.

Chan served as the main censorship liaison between the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and social… pic.twitter.com/2no8aktzf2

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) May 1, 2025

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He previously played a key role in communications between the FBI and major tech companies ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

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These efforts included the suppression of the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Chan’s leave comes as he remains at the center of multiple legal disputes.

In 2023, the House Judiciary Committee filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleging that Chan failed to comply with a subpoena for a deposition related to the committee’s investigation into federal involvement in online content moderation.

“Chan has violated and continues to violate his legal obligations by refusing to appear before the Judiciary Committee,” the House’s Office of General Counsel stated in the court filing.

The Department of Justice had challenged the committee’s deposition procedures, which led to Chan declining to appear.

Chan also served as a witness in the case of Missouri v. Biden, a federal lawsuit examining whether U.S. government agencies exerted improper influence over private companies to moderate content on social media platforms.

During his deposition, Chan testified that he had “no internal knowledge” regarding the suppression of The New York Post’s 2020 article about the Biden family laptop.

Despite that testimony, communications made public through the “Twitter Files” suggest Chan had regular and direct contact with social media executives.

Journalist Matt Taibbi released new information Sunday in a supplemental thread to his ongoing investigation into the FBI’s interactions with Twitter, now known as X.

According to Taibbi, Chan served as a liaison between the FBI and Twitter during sensitive discussions surrounding foreign influence operations.

One exchange from July 2020 reveals Chan informing Twitter’s then-head of Trust and Safety, Yoel Roth, to expect formal questions from the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF).

“In July of 2020, San Francisco FBI agent Elvis Chan tells Twitter executive Yoel Roth to expect written questions from the Foreign Influence Task Force,” Taibbi tweeted.

The FITF expressed frustration after Twitter allegedly downplayed the presence of foreign propaganda actors on its platform during a government-industry briefing.

https://t.co/mz7AFoolHV July of 2020, San Francisco FBI agent Elvis Chan tells Twitter executive Yoel Roth to expect written questions from the Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF), the inter-agency group that deals with cyber threats. pic.twitter.com/V4zNYnF81W

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 18, 2022

“Chan underscored this: ‘There was quite a bit of discussion within the USIC to get clarifications from your company,’” Taibbi added, referencing the United States Intelligence Community.

5.Chan underscored this: “There was quite a bit of discussion within the USIC to get clarifications from your company,” he wrote, referring to the United States Intelligence Community.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 18, 2022

The task force reportedly demanded to know how Twitter reached its assessment and even attached public news sources in an attempt to challenge Twitter’s position.

The extent of the FBI’s communication with social media companies in the lead-up to the 2020 election continues to be scrutinized by congressional committees.

Chan’s role has been highlighted in numerous documents, interviews, and whistleblower accounts as the Biden-Harris administration worked with platforms to flag or suppress content under the umbrella of combating “misinformation.”

While the FBI has not publicly confirmed Chan’s status, reports of his placement on terminal leave have raised questions about internal accountability within the bureau.

Critics argue that federal officials who allegedly coordinated efforts to suppress information critical of the administration should be held responsible.

Chan’s removal from operational access marks another development as the federal government faces growing legal and legislative pressure to explain its role in online censorship initiatives.

Multiple ongoing cases are likely to revisit Chan’s communications as part of broader inquiries into First Amendment concerns and federal overreach in the digital space.

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