{"id":2662368,"date":"2026-09-16T11:25:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignsen-grassley-vindicated-thrice-fold-on-alleged-scheme-to-hinder-biden-family-investigation\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T11:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:26:44","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignsen-grassley-vindicated-thrice-fold-on-alleged-scheme-to-hinder-biden-family-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignsen-grassley-vindicated-thrice-fold-on-alleged-scheme-to-hinder-biden-family-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Grassley Vindicated On Alleged Scheme To Hinder Biden Probe"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignsen-grassley-vindicated-thrice-fold-on-alleged-scheme-to-hinder-biden-family-investigation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2662368&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Kash Patel confirmed that the &#8220;Round River&#8221; classification banner placed on documents related to investigations into Biden-family corruption was fake, as Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley had suggested. During a Senate hearing, Patel revealed that members of the FBI&#8217;s Round River inquiry falsely classified documents to hide evidence of Biden family misconduct and improperly treated the investigation as a classified &#8220;Special Access Program,&#8221; despite no official policy supporting such classification. Additionally, Patel highlighted that FBI files were stored in inaccessible &#8220;Prohibited Access&#8221; cases to conceal information from oversight and that these practices were part of efforts to discredit negative Hunter Biden information and halt investigative activity. Grassley expressed concern over the management and suspicious classification of these records and is investigating the misconduct. The investigation also touches on the broader context of FBI actions surrounding Biden family issues, alleged attempts by FBI headquarters to impede investigations, and possible political motivations. Former Attorney General Bill Barr and former U.S. Attorney Scott Brady discussed their own experiences, suggesting potential sabotage and mishandling of evidence related to Biden and Ukraine. the revelations point to possible misconduct within the FBI regarding its handling of Biden-related investigations and evidence, wiht ongoing efforts to uncover and address improper classification and withholding of records.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Kash Patel confirmed Tuesday the Round River classification banner placed atop documents related to the supposed investigation into Biden-family corruption was \u201cfake\u201d \u2014 just as Senate Chuck Grassley suggested in an August <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grassley.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/grassley_johnson_to_doj_fbi_odni_-_crossfire_hurricane_round_river.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> to the FBI director. In that same letter, the Iowa senator noted serious concerns over FBI agents in D.C. downgrading allegations of criminality relating to the Biden family. <\/p>\n<p>Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on a wide-range of topics, including everything from the Bureau\u2019s zeroing out of the backlog of nearly two million DNA samples last month, to agents\u2019 continuing disruption of domestic terrorism plots. Under questioning from Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, Patel also confirmed something the Iowa senator hinted at in an August 17, 2026 letter to the Attorney General Todd Blanche and the FBI director \u2014 that members of Round River misclassified documents to conceal evidence of Biden family corruption.<\/p>\n<p>As Grassley explained during the hearing, Round River was the name of the investigation run out of FBI headquarters, in conjunction with the Foreign Influence Task Force (\u201cFITF\u201d), with whistleblowers <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/13\/round-river-fbi-op-was-a-deep-state-conspiracy-to-thwart-investigation-into-biden-family-corruption\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claiming<\/a> Round River sought to \u201cimproperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation and caused investigative activity to cease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grassley\u2019s letter from last month <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/19\/round-river-docs-suggest-fbi-misclassified-information-to-hide-biden-family-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> that \u201csome Round River documents include banner markings to identify classified information; however, the banner markings include \u2018Round River\u2019 as a classification code.\u201d As The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/19\/round-river-docs-suggest-fbi-misclassified-information-to-hide-biden-family-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the FBI\u2019s coding system methodically details the proper banner format, with documents required to first be classified as Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, or Unclassified, and with the names of investigations then incorporated for \u201cSpecial Access Program.\u201d That reality tracks with Grassley\u2019s statement in his August letter that \u201cit appears the Wray FBI treated Round River as a Special Access Program when all accounts provided to us so far show no indication that it was in fact such a program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At Tuesday\u2019s hearing, Grassley reiterated his \u201cconcerns about how Round River Records were stored, managed, and classified,\u201d reminding the country that \u201cRound River was the operation that shut down certain government sources regarding the Biden family with apparently no justification.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example,\u201d the Iowa senator continued, \u201csome records included banner markings with Round River as a classification code. That is highly unusual if not outrightly improper.\u201d \u201cWhat steps have you taken to investigate any improper classification of Round River records,\u201d Senator Grassley then asked Patel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks to your referral, Mr. Chairman, and shedding light on this, we looked at the classification processes surrounding this \u2018creation\u2019 of a [classification] called Round River,\u201d Patel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grassley.senate.gov\/news\/news-releases\/grassley-questions-director-patel-at-senate-judiciary-committee-oversight-hearing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">responded<\/a>, continuing:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We discovered that there was no FBI policy to substantiate such a classification, and that it was basically made up. So now, working with you and your staff, we are committed to continue to produce [records], on top of the nearly 2,000 pages of documents on Round River that we\u2019ve already produced\u2026 We are conducting an internal investigation through the Inspection Division on the individuals who launched and codified this false and fake [classification].<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It was not merely the fake Round River classification, however, that concerned Grassley; rather, the Iowa senator also raised his \u201cconcerns about FBI files being hidden in Prohibited Access and Restricted Access cases.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>In response to the Chair\u2019s request for an update, Patel first confirmed that \u201cprohibitive cases,\u201d as Grassley noted, \u201cwere created just for that purpose \u2013 to evade transparency [and] to evade promulgation of FBI records that should be made available under FOIA and constitutional oversight.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI eliminated prohibited cases,\u201d the FBI director then confirmed, adding that \u201cwe will work with your committee to continue producing records for what used to be called prohibitive cases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The use of the false Round River classification and the burying of documents in the prohibited-access functionality of the FBI\u2019s Sentinel case management system has implications beyond FBI Headquarters: The alleged efforts by the Round River investigative team to \u201cimproperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation and caused investigative activity to cease,\u201d did not happen in a vacuum. Rather, in the run-up to the 2020 election, when, according to whistleblowers, FBI agents in D.C. sought to bury reporting related to potential Biden family corruption, then-U.S. Attorney Scott Brady was busy vetting evidence related to the Bidens and Ukraine, as directed by then-Attorney General Bill Barr.<\/p>\n<p>But when asked about Round River, Brady told The Federalist he did not know of the existence of the Round River investigation. The former U.S. Attorney added that given his tasking by General Barr, he would have expected the FBI to provide his team anything related to the Bidens and Ukraine. When asked whether he thought FBI Headquarters had sabotaged his screening of the material related to the Biden family, Brady replied: \u201cThe most generous reading is that the FBI in D.C. \u2018slow walked\u2019 my investigation,\u201d but it could also be viewed as FBI Headquarters \u201cactively interfering with my ability to investigate Burisma,\u201d according to the former federal prosecutor.<\/p>\n<p>The Federalist also spoke with former Attorney General Bill Barr, asking him first about last month\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/accountability\/russia-and-ukraine-scandals\/emb6am-fbi-marked-officials-journalists-informants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">release<\/a> of a spreadsheet that identified him as a potential conduit for Russian disinformation. Barr told The Federalist he was not concerned about that revelation, with him noting the DOJ sent material to the FBI for vetting, assuming some might be disinformation \u2014 which is why it had to be vetted. In fact, that was precisely why he directed Brady to vet information related to the Bidens and Ukraine in the run-up to the 2020 election. His goal, Barr explained, was to ensure Brady\u2019s team saw everything, conducted a methodical assessment of the material, and determine its reliability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf there were people short-stopping the evidence from Scott Brady\u2019s operation, that would have been antithetical to my tasking,\u201d former attorney general Barr told The Federalist, calling it \u201csabotage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What remains to be seen, then, is what precisely the Round River team secreted in prohibited access files \u2014 or behind the invented Round River classification \u2014 and whether those materials were improperly withheld from Brady. For now, Grassley is clear that he is \u201cnot drawing a conclusion on all the records provided so far,\u201d concerning whether the \u201cFBI fully investigation all allegations or simply swept them under the rug for political purposes.\u201d But on much he has already been vindicated.<\/p>\n<p>And the Bureau now investigating those behind the fraudulent use of the Round River classification, and with Director Patel working to provide Grassley access to the documents previously hidden in prohibited access, the whistleblowers who called out the FITF for shutting down sources and marginalized information provided by sources on the false assertion of Russian disinformation, may soon be vindicated too.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Margot Cleveland is an investigative journalist and legal analyst and serves as The Federalist\u2019s senior legal correspondent. Margot\u2019s work has been published at The Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, the New Criterion, National Review Online, Townhall.com, the Daily Signal, USA Today, and the Detroit Free Press.     She is also a regular guest on nationally syndicated radio programs and on Fox News, Fox Business, and Newsmax. Cleveland is a lawyer and a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School, where she earned the Hoynes Prize\u2014the law school\u2019s highest honor. She later served for nearly 25 years as a permanent law clerk for a federal appellate judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.      Cleveland is a former full-time university faculty member and now teaches as an adjunct from time to time. Cleveland is also of counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance.       Cleveland is on Twitter at @ProfMJCleveland where you can read more about her greatest accomplishments\u2014her dear husband and dear son. The views expressed here are those of Cleveland in her private capacity.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kash Patel: &#8216;Round River&#8217; banner was fake, per Grassley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":499,"featured_media":2662369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-235-1024x576.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5045,52583,3976,5894,4633],"class_list":["post-2662368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-government","tag-grassley-2","tag-investigation","tag-politics","tag-scandal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-235-1024x576.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/499"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2662368"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2662372,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662368\/revisions\/2662372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2662369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2662368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2662368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2662368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}