Prosecutors Indict Two Ex-FBI Leaders Over Hunter Biden Laptop Testimony

The Justice Department has charged two former senior FBI officials with perjury related to their 2023 congressional testimony.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the indictments on Friday. The charges target Nikki Floris, a former intelligence division leader, and Bradley Benavides, a former deputy assistant director. Each defendant faces a maximum prison sentence of five years if convicted. Both were released on Friday morning after a brief court appearance.

Prosecutors allege the pair intentionally hid information from the House Judiciary Committee regarding the FBI's handling of investigations into Hunter Biden and his laptop. An FBI affidavit details specific discrepancies in Floris's testimony. She claimed no involvement in the probe, yet records show she communicated with the case team for over a year. She also stated she knew nothing about the laptop, even though she coordinated the bureau's response to media coverage in real time.

Benavides testified months after Floris. He told the committee he learned about the laptop from a Wikipedia entry while preparing his statement. The affidavit asserts he was in constant contact about the device for several days. A committee member stated that these answers influenced the inquiry by preventing follow-up interviews and subpoenas.

Pirro described the pair's actions as undermining the institutions they served. She stated that lying to Congress strikes at the core of the democratic system. Pirro added that when senior agents believe they are above the law, it is time to bring the hammer of justice down on them.

Defense attorneys challenged the timing and basis of the charges. Floris's lawyers argued the government relied on politicians rather than facts. They described Floris as a patriot who served nearly 20 years. They noted the government filed the charges years later, on the eve of an election. Ron Safer, Benavides's attorney, asked the court to review whether prosecutors had sufficient evidence against two lifetime public servants.

US Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui questioned the material impact of the alleged lies. He noted the charges came more than three years after the original testimony. He granted a defense request for a hearing to weigh the government's evidence. That hearing is set for Tuesday, a faster schedule than usual for defendants released into the community. Faruqui called the rapid timeline rare but justified by the age of the charges.

Faruqui acknowledged the defendants' strong law enforcement backgrounds. He said they have an interest in clearing their names quickly. He described a Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, noting the matter would follow them for the rest of their lives.

The laptop remains a focal point in political disputes. Republicans cite it as evidence of corruption in the Biden family. Democrats view it as part of a Republican conspiracy. A computer shop owner handed the device to the FBI in 2019. He told the Washington Post he turned it over after viewing some of its contents. The indictment arrives as many FBI agents who investigated Trump allies have been pushed out of the bureau since the start of the current administration.