FBI officials cleared as judge throws out Hunter Biden laptop perjury case

A federal magistrate judge has thrown out criminal allegations brought against two former FBI officials accused of misleading lawmakers about the investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop.

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui determined that federal prosecutors did not establish probable cause showing that Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides deliberately provided untruthful testimony to the House Judiciary Committee. The charges, filed in Washington, DC, alleged that the pair made false statements in 2023 regarding the bureau's handling of the laptop that belonged to the son of former president Joe Biden.

In his decision, Faruqui sharply criticized the government for hurrying the matter forward just ten days ahead of the midterm elections, describing the timing and handling of the case as weaponization of the justice system. The judge pointed out significant errors in the prosecution's work, finding that certain statements cited by the government were not actually untrue, while other discrepancies appeared to be genuine memory lapses.

Both Floris and Benavides had previously worked on a specialized bureau task force focused on tracking foreign efforts to meddle in American political campaigns. That unit was originally created following the 2016 race amid worries over Russian activities. Prior to the 2020 election, the team had examined whether Russian operatives were orchestrating a disinformation campaign to aid Donald Trump's candidacy by amplifying material from the laptop.

Court testimony from another FBI agent revealed that the inquiry into Floris and Benavides began after a televised speech by the president in July regarding election integrity. During that address, the president ordered an examination into whether intelligence agencies concealed findings about Chinese intervention during the 2020 race. Following the speech, FBI Director Kash Patel instructed the Kansas City field office to look into Floris, who had questioned an intelligence assessment suggesting China preferred Biden over Trump.

The dismissal ends the current complaint, although the Justice Department still maintains the option to seek an indictment through a federal grand jury. The outcome marks a setback for recent high-profile Justice Department cases aimed at officials perceived to have worked against the president's political interests.