Ex-FBI officials charged over Hunter Biden laptop statements
Two former FBI intelligence officials surrendered and appeared in court after the Justice Department charged them with lying to Congress in 2023 about the Hunter Biden laptop probe.
The story in focus
ABC News reports that former FBI intelligence officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered Friday and appeared in federal court in Washington after the Justice Department charged them with making false statements to Congress in 2023 about a foreign-influence task force's involvement in investigations related to Hunter Biden and their knowledge of his laptop.
- Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides led the FBI's since-disbanded Foreign Intelligence Task Force when the laptop was discovered.
- The Justice Department says they lied to Congress in 2023 about the task force's involvement in Biden-related investigations and their knowledge of the laptop.
- Their attorneys called the charges politically motivated and denied wrongdoing.
- FBI Director Kash Patel said lying to Congress by senior FBI officials is unacceptable.
- The case was filed 10 days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Charges and court appearance
Two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference were charged Friday with making false statements to Congress about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden's laptop ahead of the 2020 presidential election, ABC News reported.
Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered Friday and made their first appearance in federal court in Washington, where their lawyers sought a speedy hearing to contest the allegations. The Justice Department says the two lied to Congress in 2023 about the involvement of a specialized foreign-influence task force in investigations into Biden and about their knowledge of the laptop.
Denials and political context
Floris's attorneys said she had served nearly 20 years as an FBI intelligence officer and called the accusation false, saying it rested on politicians rather than facts. They said the timing, years later and on the eve of an election, was no coincidence. FBI Director Kash Patel said lying to Congress by senior FBI officials strikes at the heart of the system and that no one is above the law.
The case was filed 10 days before the Nov. 3 elections. ABC News described it as the latest in a series of politically charged investigative actions by the Justice Department before the midterms. Floris and Benavides led the FBI's since-disbanded Foreign Intelligence Task Force when the laptop was discovered; the task force was disbanded in February 2025.
What are Floris and Benavides accused of lying about?
The Justice Department says they falsely told Congress in 2023 that the Foreign Intelligence Task Force was not involved in investigations related to Hunter Biden and misstated their knowledge of his laptop, according to ABC News.
Sources & further reading
Help keep the record accurate. Send a correction.
