Two Ex-FBI Officials Charged Over Hunter Biden Testimony

Elena Vasquez · 2026-10-27T05:20:52.089Z

If these officials lied to Congress about the laptop inquiries, they should face the same accountability as any other witness.

Two Ex-FBI Officials Charged Over Hunter Biden Testimony — Photo: Prime Minister's Office / Wikimedia Commons (GODL-India)

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Two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides, surrendered Friday on a criminal complaint charging each with one count of making a false statement to Congress. Filed October 20, 2026 in Washington federal court, it alleges their 2023 House Judiciary testimony minimized the Foreign Influence Task Force's knowledge of Hunter Biden inquiries and his laptop. Floris, 46, of Alexandria, Virginia, was deputy assistant director from mid-2019 to mid-2022; Benavides, 56, of Aiken, South Carolina, was section chief through the 2020 election. Prosecutors cite emails, communications and witness accounts; Floris said she had no role, and Benavides said he learned of the laptop probe from "The Wikipedia page." U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said senior FBI agents who lie to Congress believing they are above the law face the hammer of justice. FBI Director Kash Patel said evidence contradicts their testimony and attributed to one a private claim of "running a shadow government." Floris's attorneys said she is falsely accused on the say-so of politicians and that filing on an election eve is no coincidence. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui set a preliminary hearing, denied the government more time, and said the charges hung like a sword of Damocles. They were charged by complaint, not grand jury indictment.