Two former FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about Hunter Biden probes

Two former senior FBI officials were charged with making false statements to Congress about the role of the bureau's now-disbanded Foreign Influence Task Force in investigations of Hunter Biden.

Two former senior FBI officials have been charged with lying to Congress about their roles in investigations of Hunter Biden. Nikki Cole Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, surrendered after arrest warrants were issued, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said, announcing one false-statement charge against each.

The statements at issue were made during a 2023 inquiry by the House Judiciary Committee. Prosecutors say both told lawmakers that the FBI's since-disbanded Foreign Influence Task Force played no role in the Hunter Biden investigations. Benavides also said the FBI learned about Hunter Biden's laptop in 2023 only from a Wikipedia article, while prosecutors say he regularly discussed the laptop with FBI officials before the 2020 presidential election.

Hunter Biden

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said justice must be served when senior FBI officials lie to Congress believing they are above the law. FBI Director Kash Patel said one of the defendants privately described themselves during the 2020 election as the person running the shadow government.

Floris served as deputy director of the Foreign Influence Task Force from mid-2019 to mid-2022, while Benavides was a section chief in the unit until the 2020 election. Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, was convicted on federal gun charges in June 2024 and pleaded guilty to federal tax charges that September. His father pardoned him in December 2024.