Two former FBI officials charged over testimony about Hunter Biden investigations
publishers 26articles 26first reported 23 Oct, 14:22 UTCdeveloping since 23 Oct · 10 editionstop 25 #16
Two former senior FBI officials were charged Friday with making false statements to Congress about their roles in the bureau’s investigations involving Hunter Biden and his laptop.
Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, each face one count stemming from testimony they gave to the House Judiciary Committee in 2023. Both worked on the FBI’s since-dissolved Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 election.
A criminal complaint alleges that Floris and Benavides denied knowledge of or involvement in the Hunter Biden investigations despite documentary evidence, communications and witness accounts indicating that they were involved. Prosecutors allege their statements were intended to conceal the task force’s engagement with the investigations and impede the congressional inquiry. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said one official claimed to have learned about the laptop from Wikipedia.
The defendants surrendered and appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C. They were released pending further proceedings, with a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
Attorneys for Floris denied the accusation, calling the charge false and politically motivated because it was filed shortly before the midterm election. At Friday’s hearing, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui noted that the alleged conduct occurred years ago and questioned the unusual decision to proceed through a criminal complaint rather than a grand jury indictment. He declined prosecutors’ request to delay the preliminary hearing.
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