FBI agents charged with lying about Hunter Biden probes accuse DOJ of 'serious abuse'
Summary
The Justice Department charged former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides with making false statements to Congress about the FBI’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop investigation. It later added obstruction charges, which both defendants deny; Floris’s lawyers called the prosecution a serious abuse of the criminal charging process.Key Facts
- Floris and Benavides appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday after criminal complaints charged them with making false statements to Congress.
- The Justice Department alleges Floris made false statements on July 19, 2023, and Benavides made false statements on September 28, 2023.
- The allegations concern congressional inquiries into whether FBI investigators sought to suppress or discredit material from Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 election.
- The Justice Department later added a charge of obstructing a congressional proceeding against both former officials.
- Court documents say the government relies on witness accounts and FBI records, including evidence it says shows the defendants knew about the Hunter Biden investigation.
- The Justice Department alleges the statements aimed to minimize or conceal the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force’s communications about the investigations and impede Congress’s inquiry.
- Floris’s attorneys argued that the new filing was procedurally improper and sought to avoid scrutiny at a scheduled preliminary hearing.
- Floris and Benavides deny the charges.
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