A declassified intelligence report now in the hands of Congress alleges China attempted to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election by sending thousands of counterfeit IDs to the United States in a bid to influence the outcome in favor of Joe Biden. The media’s coverage of the unsubstantiated report varies depending on a news outlet’s political bias, with right-leaning outlets giving weight to the story and left-leaning outlets dismissing it.
What is alleged in the FBI’s report?
According to the report, an FBI source in August 2020 claimed the Chinese government was producing and exporting fake U.S. driver’s licenses intended for Chinese nationals living in the U.S. The report claims, “China planned to use the fraudulent driver’s licenses to account for tens of thousands of mail-in votes.”
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The source also alleged that personal information harvested from U.S. TikTok users was used to create these fake IDs.
However, within weeks of receiving the tip, the FBI reportedly recalled the intelligence because they questioned the credibility of the source, whom they described as “relatively new” and in need of re-interviewing. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators never fully pursued the allegations.
In a July 2020 press release, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it had seized 19,888 counterfeit IDs at Chicago O’Hare International Airport over a six-month period, with most arriving from China and Hong Kong. This CBP announcement came one month before the FBI’s report.
Some outlets have highlighted the CBP report as possible corroboration of the FBI report.
Media narratives diverge
News of the FBI report has generated starkly different coverage across the political media spectrum. Right-leaning outlets like Fox News and The Daily Wire framed the story around the seriousness of the allegations and the suggestion that China sought to sway the election toward Biden.
Left-leaning outlets, by contrast, have questioned both the substance and the source of the report. NBC News and The Daily Beast portrayed the story as another version of 2020 election conspiracy theories, emphasizing that the claims came from an unverified source and that the FBI quickly recalled the intel report. They also note that Patel references a news report from a journalist belonging to a right-leaning organization and has close ties to President Donald Trump.
The divergence in coverage appears to reflect long-standing partisan skepticism.
Many on the political right continue to question the 2020 election results, which may explain why they view allegations of foreign interference as significant. Meanwhile, many on the left harbor skepticism toward Patel, a Trump appointee whose past statements have drawn criticism from the left for allegedly promoting conspiracy theories.
The result is a story where political ideology continues to influence media framing and public interpretation.
Key questions remain unanswered
Despite the document’s declassification, several questions remain unanswered. Officials have not disclosed the identity or credibility of the FBI’s confidential source, and it remains unclear whether they ever re-interviewed the individual. Authorities have also not established a direct link between the nearly 20,000 fake IDs confiscated by CBP in Chicago and the alleged Chinese interference plot.
NBC News downplayed the ID seizures, noting college students often purchase fake IDs for alcohol. Conversely, Just the News suggested the CBP press release could be possible corroboration of the interference claim.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley has received the declassified report and has requested further information from the FBI. He may choose to release some files to the public.
For a deeper dive into how media bias shapes news coverage, check out our Bias Breakdown podcast.
