Two former FBI officials have been charged with lying to Congress regarding their roles in the investigation into Hunter Biden’s laptop. Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered Friday morning to face the charges, announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
Pirro stated on social media that the officials allegedly lied about their roles in the Foreign Influence Task Force and the FBI’s Hunter Biden investigations. Attorneys for Floris issued a statement calling the accusations false and politically motivated, asserting that the charges were brought “on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts” and were timed for political gain on the eve of an election. An attorney for Benavides had not yet been listed on the court docket.
The case was initiated through a criminal complaint, and the officials have not yet been indicted by a federal grand jury in D.C. The article notes that grand jurors in D.C. have previously been skeptical of cases brought during the Trump administration. Floris, a former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, and Benavides, another FBI official who focused on election security and foreign influence, have both been subjects of criticism from allies of former President Donald Trump.
Floris’s attorneys also stated that she is a “patriot” who “served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years.” The charges come years after the testimony in question, with the timing drawing scrutiny given the proximity to upcoming elections.
