Ex-FBI Official Weeps in Court Amid Charges of Lying About Hunter Biden Laptop

Former FBI official Nikki Floris became emotional Tuesday outside a Washington D.C. federal courthouse as she attended a preliminary hearing for charges that she and a former colleague lied to Congress about their roles in handling the Hunter Biden laptop story. Floris was seen weeping during a break in the probable cause hearing.

Floris and Bradley Benavides, both former members of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF), surrendered to authorities last week. They each face up to five years in prison if convicted of making false statements to the House Judiciary Committee in 2023. The committee was investigating their alleged involvement in discrediting reporting on Hunter Biden.

US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui presided over the hearing, which aimed to determine if prosecutors have sufficient evidence to proceed with the case. Faruqui reserved a ruling after a full day of testimony.

In a setback for the Justice Department, the judge dismissed a superseding complaint filed against the two former officials. This amended complaint had sought to add a new obstruction charge, but prosecutors had not obtained a judicial sign-off to include it.

Prosecutors allege that Floris and Benavides communicated frequently about Hunter Biden and his laptop in the period leading up to the 2020 election. According to internal FBI messages, emails, and employee testimony, they allegedly assisted with press inquiries following The New York Post's October 14, 2020, story on the laptop. The prosecution claims they promoted a narrative that the laptop's contents were Russian disinformation.

During their 2023 testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, Floris stated she had no knowledge of the laptop, while Benavides claimed his first encounter with information about it was via Wikipedia.

FBI Special Agent Bryan Witt, a government witness, testified that he found Benavides' account of learning about the laptop improbable given the existing evidence, such as chat logs and direct message transcripts. "It’d be common sense to remember that stuff," Witt stated under cross-examination by Benavides' attorney, Ron Safer. However, Witt conceded that he lacked direct evidence proving Benavides' statement was intentionally false.

Floris's attorney, Margaret Donovan, questioned Witt about the nature of the investigation, prompting him to acknowledge that while he was concerned the probe might appear political, he declined to label it a "witch hunt." Witt also agreed that the assignment he received from then-FBI Director Kash Patel was "unusual," but maintained he was instructed to "investigate potential crimes" rather than being told a specific crime had occurred.

The hearing is scheduled to resume on Wednesday.