Ex-FBI officials charged with lying to Congress over Hunter Biden laptop probe

According to prosecutors, the Foreign Influence Task Force members’ false testimony to the House Judiciary Committee in 2023 prevented lawmakers from investigating further.WASHINGTON (CN) — The Justice Department charged two former FBI officials with lying to Congress Friday over their involvement in tax and money-laundering investigations into Hunter Biden in 2023.Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, former members of the now-disbanded Foreign Influence Task Force, were charged with making false statements to the House Judiciary Committee and surrendered to authorities.If convicted, Floris and Benavides face up to eight years in prison.aThe case focuses on the FBI’s investigation into Hunter Biden’s laptop, acquired by the FBI on Dec. 9, 2019, which sparked conservative conspiracy theories that Joe Biden pressured Ukrainian officials while he was vice president to drop a corruption investigation into his son.Floris served as deputy assistant director and functional head of the Foreign Influence Task Force from 2019-2022. Benavides was section chief from 2019 through the 2020 election. The Trump administration disbanded the task force in 2025.The charges stem from a 2023 hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, where Floris and Benavides testified the task force was not involved in the FBI’s investigations into Biden. According to the DOJ, Floris told the committee she was not involved in any discussions about Biden as task force leader, while Benavides said he learned the FBI obtained Biden’s laptop from Wikipedia.The Justice Department brought a criminal complaint against the two, a sign prosecutors have yet to present the case before a grand jury for an indictment. Grand juries in Washington have repeatedly rejected felony charges sought by the government in high-profile cases under the Trump administration.In an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, Floris’ attorneys, Margaret Donovan and Mary Dohrmann, noted a criminal complaint is normally used if a defendant presents a flight risk or a danger to the community.Faruqui noted it is uncommon for charges stemming from conduct nearly seven years ago to be brought via complaint rather than indictment. He scheduled a preliminary hearing for Tuesday.The government claims in its affidavit that Floris and Benavides were “at the center” of the task force’s interactions with the FBI teams leading the probe into Biden. Prosecutors assert the two were tied to a 2019 analysis project referred to as “Round River,” which focused on the potential for Russian disinformation in the Hunter Biden probe.The administration says Floris testified before the House Judiciary Committee on July 19, 2023, that she only had a “high-level” understanding of the probes and no involvement.Benavides appeared before the committee on Sept. 28, 2023, according to prosecutors, when he similarly testified he had no knowledge of an investigation during his time on the task force.As a result of their testimony, prosecutors said, the House Judiciary Committee was influenced “significantly” and declined to conduct follow-up interviews or issue subpoenas.“For example, had Floris answered the committee’s questions concerning her awareness of discussions relating to Hunter Biden at the [task force] truthfully, the committee would have aggressively pursued all relevant information about those communications,” prosecutors said. “Had Benavides been truthful about his involvement in the Hunter Biden investigations, the committee would have sought additional documents and testimony in furtherance of its investigation.”The DOJ provided a timeline of events in its complaint: On Aug. 14, 2020, the task force held a call with the investigative team to prepare a defensive brief — meant to address foreign disinformation related to an investigation — that Floris and Benavides then presented to three prosecutors from the District of Delaware.They say on Sept. 25, 2020, the task force issued an initial interim “Round River” report to the counterintelligence division, with Floris and Benavides listed among the eight officials who approved it.Prosecutors assert the two also helped shape the FBI’s press responses following the New York Post’s initial story on the laptop investigation.On Oct. 22, 2020, the government says Benavides spoke with an unnamed FBI employee from the Criminal Division to discuss the laptop investigation in detail, including its source and contents.During an October 2026 interview, that FBI employee said it was made clear the FBI was in possession of the laptop and its contents, that it belonged to Hunter Biden and that its contents included evidence in the investigations.After the 2020 election, Benavides left the task force; Floris remained and was involved in the investigations.U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the charges in a statement Friday.“Lying to Congress by anyone strikes at the heart of our democratic systems but when senior FBI agents lie to Congress believing they are above the law, it’s time to bring the hammer of justice down on them,” Pirro said.In a statement, Floris’ lawyers called her a “patriot” and noted she served nearly 20 years at the FBI. They also highlighted the timing of the charges.“Yet today, the DOJ has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts,” they said. “It’s no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads