The Justice Department on Friday charged two former senior FBI officials with lying to Congress about the investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, announced the charges in a post on X. 1
The two are Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56. Each was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of lying to Congress, according to CBS News. 1
What prosecutors say
Pirro said the two lied about their roles on the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 election. The questions were about the FBI's Hunter Biden investigations. 1
She also wrote that one of them claimed to have learned about the investigation into the son of former President Joe Biden from Wikipedia. Pirro said evidence showed otherwise. 1
From Channel GOPSenator to Patel: pardons sold, FBI looks awaySenator Hirono · 123 plays · captioned, with the source named
their involvement in helping shape the public narrative about Hunter Biden's laptop right before the election.
These are accusations, not findings. Neither person has been convicted of anything. 1
What the defense says
Floris was due in court Friday. ABC News reported that she was an FBI intelligence official who specialized in foreign election interference. 2
ABC also reported that the nature of the charges against Floris was unclear. Its headline described them as false statements, while CBS described them as lying to Congress. 12
Floris's lawyers called the case "nonsense." They said she served as an FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years and was accused based on the word of politicians rather than on the facts. 2
Nikki Floris is a patriot. She served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years.
The copy we reviewed did not include a response from Benavides or his lawyers. It also had no statement from congressional Democrats.
Why the timing matters
ABC reported that the case was filed 10 days before the Nov. 3 elections. It called the case the latest in a series of "splashy and politically charged" Justice Department actions in the run-up to the midterms. 2
That matters because the Justice Department is supposed to decide whom to charge based on evidence, not on the political calendar. Floris's lawyers argue the timing shows politics at work. Prosecutors have so far offered only Pirro's public statement, as reported. 12
What happens next is a court process. Floris was due to appear Friday, and the charging papers should show exactly what each person is accused of saying and when. Readers should watch for those details, and for whether the cases move forward after Election Day. 12
The Record
Sources
- CBS News, “2 ex-FBI officials charged with lying about Hunter Biden laptop probe” (2026-10-23). cbsnews.com/news/fbi-officials-charged-lying-to-congress-hun
- ABC News, “2 ex-FBI officials charged with making false statements about Hunter Biden's laptop” (2026-10-23). abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/2-fbi-officials-charged-makin
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
