Former FBI Officials Charged Over Statements to Congress on Hunter Biden Investigation
Two former FBI intelligence officials have been charged with making false statements to Congress about their roles in investigations involving Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 presidential election.
Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered on Friday and appeared in federal court in Washington. Their lawyers requested a prompt hearing to challenge the allegations. The Justice Department says the two officials misrepresented the involvement of the FBI’s Foreign Intelligence Task Force, which they led, and what they knew about the laptop when they testified in 2023. According to the criminal complaint, messages from the time contradicted their statements that the task force was not involved in investigations related to Hunter Biden.
Floris’s attorneys deny the charge. In a statement, they described her as a dedicated FBI officer and said the prosecution was politically motivated. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that lying to Congress by senior officials would undermine the system of government.
The case returns attention to a dispute that emerged in the final weeks of the 2020 election. After the New York Post published material it said came from Hunter Biden’s laptop, questions arose about his foreign business dealings. The circumstances in which the material surfaced also prompted concerns among Democrats and former intelligence officials about possible foreign disinformation. At the time, U.S. intelligence officials were assessing Russian efforts to interfere in the election.
The task force was created to address foreign influence campaigns and was later disbanded in February 2025. Its work drew criticism from congressional Republicans during investigations involving Biden.
The charges were filed 10 days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, alongside other Justice Department actions involving political figures. The department has traditionally sought to avoid overt investigative steps close to elections when those actions could affect the outcome. The allegations against Floris and Benavides remain to be tested in court.