Two former senior FBI intelligence officials surrendered to authorities, facing federal criminal charges for allegedly lying to Congress about their oversight of investigations into Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 presidential election.
Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C., after being presented with a criminal complaint charging each with one count of making false statements to lawmakers. The prosecution marks an extraordinary development involving former leaders of the bureau’s Foreign Influence Task Force, a unit established to counter foreign election interference that was subsequently disbanded in February 2025.
Surrender and Court Appearance in Washington
The defendants turned themselves in on arrest warrants before Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, who noted during the court appearance that it is rare that we have charges this old coming in this nature
. Prosecutors pushed for additional time given what the judge characterized as the sword of Damocles
hanging over the defendants, though Faruqui scheduled a preliminary hearing for the following Tuesday over those objections.
JUST IN: The Justice Department has charged two FBI officails with lying to Congress about their involvement in and knowledge of Hunter Biden-related investigations. Here's the criminal complaint: https://t.co/5eQPy4rzd7 pic.twitter.com/KuosGGJsNQ
Defense attorneys and the judge also highlighted the unusual legal mechanism chosen by the government. Rather than seeking an indictment from a grand jury in the nation’s capital—where the Justice Department has repeatedly faced hurdles securing high-profile indictments—prosecutors filed a criminal complaint. Such complaints are typically reserved for situations involving an urgent need to take individuals into custody due to flight risks or safety dangers.
A spokesperson for Jeanine Pirro stated that the matter is being handled. The Justice Department has previously brought in attorneys from separate districts to assist with sensitive proceedings.
This morning, two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, surrendered on arrest warrants after being charged with lying to Congress about their roles on the Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 election. Floris and Benavides allegedly…
Allegations from the Foreign Influence Task Force Testimony
The 27-page statement of facts supporting the charges accuses both officials of attempting to impede a congressional inquiry by concealing the task force’s direct involvement in probes surrounding Hunter Biden. Floris served as a deputy assistant director leading the task force from mid-2019 through mid-2022, while Benavides operated as its section chief from mid-2019 through the 2020 election.
Both officials testified during congressional interviews in 2023 that the unit had no involvement in the Hunter Biden investigations. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that contemporaneous communications, documentary evidence, and witness accounts directly contradict those statements.
Lying to Congress by senior FBI officials strikes at the heart of our system. No one is above the law.
FBI Director Kash Patel, via Newsweek
The court filings allege that Floris and Benavides maintained communication regarding the investigations. Investigators also claimed that Benavides told lawmakers he learned the bureau possessed the laptop through Wikipedia, despite evidence showing involvement in shaping internal assessments prior to the 2020 vote.
Prior to the 2020 vote, a group of former American intelligence leaders published a statement asserting that the computer displayed the classic earmarks of an Russian information operation.
Conversely, John Ratcliffe, who served as Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence at the time, asserted in congressional correspondence that investigators found no evidence linking outside governments to Hunter Biden’s computer.
Two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides, were taken into custody today on charges of allegedly lying to Congress about their involvement in the FBI’s investigations into Hunter Biden.The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into the…
Political Fallout Ahead of Midterm Elections
The criminal case was brought forward just 10 days before the November 3 midterm elections, representing the latest in a sequence of high-profile actions undertaken by the Justice Department during active political campaigning. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, whose office is handling the prosecution, emphasized the gravity of the accusations.
This will follow them for the rest of their lives.
FBI Director Kash Patel, via Newsweek
Legal representation for Floris strongly rejected the accusations, characterizing them as politically motivated. Nikki Floris is a patriot. She served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years. Yet today, the Department of Justice has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts,
her attorneys said in a statement, adding that the timing on the eve of an election was no coincidence.
“Two former FBI officials were charged on Friday with lying to Congress about their involvement in investigating Hunter Biden’s laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, the latest in a series of splashy and politically charged actions the Justice Department has…
More on Hunter Biden
The Justice Department charged two former FBI employees with allegedly lying to Congress about their involvement in investigations of former President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and his laptop. https://t.co/Bfj4hWsTlG