Two Former FBI Officials Charged With Lying to Congress in Hunter Biden Probe

Two former FBI officials, Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, have been charged with lying to Congress about their involvement in investigations related to Hunter Biden, including matters concerning his laptop. The Department of Justice announced the charges, stating that both individuals surrendered Friday on arrest warrants.

According to the DOJ, Benavides allegedly falsely denied involvement in the investigations, claiming he learned about the laptop story from Wikipedia, despite evidence suggesting he discussed the matter with others in the FBI. Similarly, the department alleges that Floris falsely testified that she did not discuss Hunter Biden with members of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, when evidence indicates otherwise.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that lying to Congress undermines democratic systems and that senior FBI agents who believe they are above the law will be held accountable. "When senior officials entrusted with safeguarding our nation’s security choose deception over duty, they undermine the very institutions they swore to uphold," Pirro said in a statement.

Floris's attorneys issued a statement asserting her innocence, calling the charges false and politically motivated. "It’s no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election," the statement read, characterizing Floris as a patriot who served for nearly 20 years.

FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the arrests, noting that Floris and Benavides were part of the now-dissolved Foreign Influence Task Force. He stated that one of the individuals is on record privately claiming to be "running a shadow government" during the 2020 election. Patel reiterated the FBI's stance against "weaponization."