Politics · United States · 3 hrs ago
Two former FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about Hunter Biden probe
Two former FBI officials face charges over testimony they gave to Congress in 2023 about the bureau’s investigations involving Hunter Biden.
Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides are accused of making false statements about their roles in the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 election.
Prosecutors say they concealed the task force’s involvement and communications about the investigations.
The case concerns the FBI’s handling of Hunter Biden investigations, including scrutiny of his laptop and business dealings in Ukraine.
The criminal complaint was brought in Washington, D.C., and the officials will not be detained while the case proceeds.
The charges were filed years after the testimony and shortly before the midterm election, prompting questions from the judge and defense lawyers about the timing.
The judge called the charging approach unusual and ordered the parties to return for a hearing on Tuesday.
The case will now move forward in federal court, where the allegations will be considered.
Two former FBI officials, Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, face criminal charges alleging they lied to Congress about the bureau’s Hunter Biden investigations.
The charges concern testimony in 2023 about the officials’ roles in the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 election.
A complaint alleges they concealed the task force’s engagement and communications about the investigations and impeded a congressional inquiry.
Both appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday and will not be detained while awaiting trial.
Their lawyers dispute the charges, and the judge questioned the timing and unusual charging process.
- Who
- Former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides.
- What
- Each faces one count of making false statements to Congress about their roles in the Hunter Biden investigations.
- When
- The alleged statements were made in 2023. The charges were brought in October 2026.
- Where
- The case is in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in Washington, D.C.
- Why
- Prosecutors allege the officials made false statements to conceal the task force’s engagement with and communications about the investigations and impede a congressional inquiry.
U.S. prosecutors
Floris and Benavides
Alleged testimony
U.S. prosecutors
Prosecutors allege the officials made false statements to Congress about their roles in the task force and its involvement in the Hunter Biden investigations.
Floris and Benavides
The officials’ defense lawyers say the charges are false; Floris’s lawyers called them politically driven.
Timing of charges
U.S. prosecutors
Prosecutors brought charges based on allegations about testimony given years earlier.
Floris and Benavides
Benavides’s lawyer said the government had known the information for years, and Floris’s lawyers said the charges were filed on the eve of an election.
The Foreign Influence Task Force’s work during the election became a focus of questions about the FBI’s Hunter Biden investigations.
The complaint alleges Floris made false statements to Congress.
The complaint alleges Benavides made false statements to Congress.
Floris and Benavides appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C., and the criminal complaint was unsealed.
The judge ordered the parties to return for a hearing.
- Defendants
- Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56
- Charges
- One count each of making false statements to Congress
- Investigation
- FBI’s Hunter Biden investigations
- Task force
- Foreign Influence Task Force
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Court appearance
- Friday, October 23, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
Both testified that the FITF was not involved in the Hunter Biden investigations. Documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications, and witness accounts contradict their testimony.
when senior FBI agents lie to Congress believing they are above the law, it’s time to bring the hammer of justice down on them.
The alleged conduct happened years ago. The government has had the information about this for years,
This will follow them for the rest of their lives.