DOJ Charges Two Former FBI Foreign Influence Task Force Officials for Lying to Congress

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office announced Friday that former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered on arrest warrants after a criminal complaint charged each with making false statements to Congress under 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) 1. The complaint alleges they falsely told the House Judiciary Committee in 2023 that the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force was not involved in the Hunter Biden investigations, and Benavides said he learned of the laptop from Wikipedia 12. An FBI agent's affidavit says documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications and witness accounts contradict this testimony, according to DOJ and CNBC 13. CNN reported that Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui called the charge "rare," noted it was filed by complaint rather than grand jury, and released both defendants; Floris's attorneys called the charges baseless and politically timed, less than two weeks before the midterms 23. The Atlantic reported that the affidavit does not quote the testimony at issue for at least one allegation 4.