Two Ex-FBI Officials Charged With Lying to Congress About Hunter Biden Probes
Two former FBI officials who led the bureau’s now-disbanded Foreign Influence Task Force were charged Friday with lying to Congress about their involvement in the Hunter Biden investigations.
Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, each face one count of making false statements. Both surrendered Friday morning and appeared in federal court in Washington.
An FBI agent’s affidavit says Floris was the task force’s deputy assistant director from mid-2019 through mid-2022, while Benavides served as its section chief from mid-2019 through the 2020 election.
Prosecutors allege both downplayed their knowledge in 2023 interviews with the House Judiciary Committee. Floris testified July 19, 2023, and Benavides that September, CBS News reported.
Asked whether she had any involvement in the Hunter Biden investigation, Floris answered, “I did not,” according to the complaint. Asked whether Hunter Biden was ever discussed at the task force, she said, “No. At least not with me.”
Benavides allegedly told investigators he learned some details about the laptop investigation from Wikipedia while preparing for his interview, the complaint says.
“Witness accounts and contemporaneous documents from December 2019 through September 2021 show that Floris and Benavides knew about and were actively involved in the FBI’s investigations of Hunter Biden,” the complaint states.
It also alleges the pair helped review materials for Aug. 6, 2020, defensive briefings given to Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson about potential Russian disinformation.
Pirro and Patel Weigh In
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on X that the pair “allegedly lied to Congress about their roles in the FBI’s Hunter Biden investigations, with one claiming they only learned about it from Wikipedia,” NPR reported.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the charges “stem from an ongoing investigation into the since-dissolved FBI Foreign Influence Task Force,” adding that “documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications, and witness accounts contradict their testimony,” CNBC reported.
“Lying to Congress by senior FBI officials strikes at the heart of our system. No one is above the law,” Patel said.
Defense lawyers denied the allegations. Floris’ attorneys called her “a patriot” and said, “It’s no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election.”
Benavides’ lawyers called the case “a transparently political complaint” and said, “These charges are a disgrace.”
The case was brought by criminal complaint, meaning prosecutors have not yet obtained a grand jury indictment. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui noted both defendants’ “sparkling backgrounds” and called the use of a complaint for such old conduct unusual.
Over prosecutors’ objections, Faruqui set a preliminary hearing for Tuesday, citing the “sword of Damocles” hanging over the defendants.
The task force was created during Trump’s first term to counter foreign influence operations. It was disbanded in February 2025 by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Hunter Biden was convicted on federal gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax offenses before his father pardoned him in December 2024.
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