DOJ charges two former FBI officials over testimony on Hunter Biden probes

The Justice Department charged former FBI officials Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, with one count each of lying to Congress about the Foreign Influence Task Force’s role in Hunter Biden investigations, including the laptop inquiry. The criminal complaint was filed Oct. 23, 2026—11 days before the Nov. 3 elections. Both had led the now-dissolved task force; they surrendered and made initial appearances in federal court in Washington, D.C., and have not yet been indicted by a grand jury. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said lying to Congress by senior FBI agents who believe they are above the law means it is time to bring the hammer of justice down on them, and that officials who choose deception over duty undermine the institutions they swore to uphold. Floris’s lawyers called the government’s reasons as transparent as they are unjust—to push a false narrative for political points—and said the charges rest on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts. A lawyer for Benavides was not immediately available. Prosecutors say evidence contradicted the pair’s congressional testimony. The matter remains at the complaint stage.