Trump's DOJ unveils bombshell new charges for ex-FBI agents accused of Hunter Biden laptop 'cover-up'

Sign up HERE for our weekly DC Insider newsletter - your guide to what's rocking Washington, rattling the White House and setting tongues wagging on Capitol Hill Published: 10:52 EDT, 27 October 2026 | Updated: 11:43 EDT, 27 October 2026 Two former FBI officials accused of orchestrating Hunter Biden's laptop 'cover-up' were slapped with bombshell new charges by President Donald Trump's Justice Department.The two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, were charged with new 'obstruction' counts in a superseding indictment filed late Monday night.That includes allegedly obstructing a congressional proceeding and lying to lawmakers.It stems from sworn testimony the agents gave to Congress three years ago as part of the Republican-led probe into then-President Joe Biden's troubled son Hunter. The agents appeared in court on Tuesday after the new charges were unveiled. Last week, the agents were each charged with one count of allegedly lying to Congress about their roles on the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, or FITF, and 'about their roles in the FBI's Hunter Biden investigation,' according to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro.They were charged by criminal complaint, which means that federal prosecutors had not yet secured an indictment in either case from a grand jury.It sparked an outcry by Democrats about potential politicization of the judicial system with just days left until the midterm elections. Two former FBI officials accused of orchestrating Hunter Biden's laptop 'cover-up' were slapped with bombshell new charges by President Donald Trump's Justice DepartmentHunter's laptop, which was abandoned at a repair shop in Delaware and then obtained by former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, became a flashpoint in the run-up to the 2020 election, after its contents were reported by the New York Post. He was later convicted of felony gun charges and separate tax offenses, though he was pardoned by his father shortly before he left office. Floris and Benavides were charged with making false statements to the House Judiciary Committee about their roles on the task force and their involvement in the Hunter Biden investigation during separate testimonies in July 2023 and September 2023, respectively, according to a criminal complaint.Floris told lawmakers she did 'not have any details' about the FBI's investigation into the laptop, while Benavides allegedly told lawmakers 'repeatedly' that he learned about the laptop from a Wikipedia page shortly before his testimony. The committee put out a simple post on X after the indictment last week: 'The cover-up didn't work.'The case marks the latest in a string of instances that Justice Department officials have sidestepped longstanding internal guidance that cautions the department against taking public or overt investigative action in a 90-day period before an election.The charges against Floris and Benavides were unsealed just 10 days before the November midterms – where Republicans appear poised to cede control of one or both chambers of Congress.The timing prompted concern from attorneys for the former agents, and the magistrate judge himself.They asked Friday why federal prosecutors did not move on the alleged false statements charges much earlier, given that the conduct in question occurred more than three years ago.Faruqui agreed – describing the process by which the charges were secured as 'strange.' Photos and texts from Hunter Biden's laptop. The laptop became a flashpoint in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election - and a target for Republicans for years after One of the many photos of Hunter found on his laptop He also denied prosecutors' request to delay the preliminary hearing by more than two weeks.'This is the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads,' he said, before ordering all parties back to court Tuesday morning.