Two former FBI officials charged with making false statements to Congress

Two former FBI officials who frequently drew scrutiny from political allies of President Donald Trump have been charged with lying to Congress regarding their involvement in probes concerning Hunter Biden.

Federal court records show that Nikki Floris, previously a deputy assistant director within the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, and former bureau colleague Bradley Benavides each face a single count of providing false statements to lawmakers. According to Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, both individuals surrendered to authorities on Friday morning. Pirro stated on social media that the pair made false claims concerning their work on the Foreign Influence Task Force and their duties tied to investigations into Hunter Biden.

Hunter Biden faced federal prosecution and was convicted on gun and tax charges before receiving a presidential pardon from his father, former President Joe Biden, near the conclusion of his term.

The charges against Floris and Benavides were initiated through a criminal complaint rather than an indictment from a federal grand jury. Grand juries in Washington have recently demonstrated skepticism toward cases presented by the Justice Department, including a recent decision declining to indict six Democratic members of Congress. Legal observers note that charges for lying to lawmakers are historically uncommon and carry high burdens of proof.

Legal counsel representing Floris strongly rejected the accusations, framing the case as politically motivated retaliation. In a joint statement, attorneys Margaret Donovan, Chris Mattei, Mary Dohrmann, and Kyle R. Freeny described Floris as an intelligence officer who served the bureau for nearly two decades. The defense team contended that the Justice Department acted on the demands of political figures rather than factual evidence, arguing that bringing forward old allegations close to an election was aimed at scoring partisan points. Legal representation for Benavides was not immediately identified in available court records.

Floris began working for the bureau in 2005 as an intelligence analyst, helping prepare the daily briefing for leadership before advancing to the counterterrorism branch in 2017. She served as the bureau's security lead during the 2020 election cycle. Benavides also concentrated on election defense, foreign meddling, and threats connected to Chinese intelligence.

Both officials previously attracted sharp criticism from congressional Republicans. Lawmakers pointed to declassified correspondence concerning the handling of an intelligence assessment regarding Chinese election influence. While Republican critics claimed the assessment was suppressed to shield top leadership, intelligence representatives and defense lawyers maintained that withholding the document was standard administrative protocol due to concerns over unverified source material.