Laptop belonging to Joe Biden’s son linked to FBI money laundering probe
Subpoena indicates that contents of Hunter Biden’s computer are being scrutinised in financial case

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
An FBI subpoena seeking Hunter Biden’s laptop and hard drive has been linked to a money laundering investigation opened in late 2019.
The computer triggered a major row last week after ending up in the hands of Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who shared its contents with the New York Post.
The laptop contents included an email which allegedly indicated that Joe Biden had been introduced by his son to a top executive at a Ukrainian energy firm months before the then vice-president asked government officials in Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was investigating the company.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now, Fox News is reporting that the FBI subpoenaed the laptop and hard drive in relation to an apparently separate probe. Whether the investigation is directly linked to Hunter Biden is unclear.
The broadcaster says that leaked files relating to the probe include a document labelled as a “Receipt for Property” with a “Case ID” code that includes the numbers “272” - the FBI’s classification for money laundering.
The document also “details the bureau’s interactions with John Paul Mac Isaac”, the owner of The Mac Shop in Delaware, says the broadcaster. Mac Isaac claims that Hunter Biden left his damaged Apple laptop at the store in April 2019 and never returned, nor paid the $85 repair bill.
Another document obtained by Fox News was a subpoena sent to Mac Isaac to testify before the US District Court in Delaware last December. The subpoena reportedly includes “what appears to be serial numbers for a laptop and hard drive taken into possession”.
According to the Daily Beast, Mac Isaac is “an avid Trump supporter” who feared he might be “murdered” because he had Biden’s laptop. Asked by reporters this week how the device came into the possession of Trump’s lawyer, Mac Isaac said that a “whole lot of players” were involved.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Biden dismissed the reports about his son business dealings as fiction. “This is the same garbage Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s henchman. It’s a last-ditch effort in his desperate campaign to smear me and my family,” he told local Wisconsin station WISN-TV.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
5 tips to save on heating bills
The Explainer Follow these expert recommendations for a cozy and cheap winter
By Becca Stanek Published
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Mobsters jailed by Giuliani are 'thrilled' with his RICO prosecution. Former fans are sad.
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Why have the JFK assassination files been kept secret for so long?
In Depth Joe Biden is set to finally release thousands of documents this week despite pressure from CIA and FBI
By The Week Staff Published
-
Report: Federal agents claim they have evidence to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Was attempted FBI break-in linked to the Donald Trump Mar-a-Lago raid?
Speed Read A 42-year-old man was killed after reportedly trying to enter an FBI office in Ohio
By Amrita Gill Published
-
What was the FBI looking for in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate?
Today's Big Question Raid on former president’s Florida home described as ‘extraordinary, historic development’
By The Week Staff Published
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shooting
Speed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biden visits Uvalde, meets with victims' families
Speed Read
By Harold Maass Published
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on police
Speed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
By The Week Staff Published