Ex-FBI officials face new charges over Hunter Biden testimony

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 28 Oct, 21:41 · Archive

Two former FBI officials have been charged with lying to Congress about their role in investigations of Hunter Biden.

Two former FBI counterintelligence officials, Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, face charges brought by President Donald Trump's Department of Justice. They were initially accused of making false statements when they testified to the House Judiciary Committee in 2023 about their role in investigations of Hunter Biden. The DOJ subsequently added charges of obstruction and attempted obstruction of a congressional proceeding.

The new charges were filed via what is known as a "superseding criminal complaint" rather than through a grand jury indictment, which allows prosecutors to move faster but does not require grand jury approval. According to CNBC, the conduct at issue took place more than three years prior to the charges being filed. The case is being directed by FBI Director Kash Patel.

Defense attorneys for both officials have raised concerns about the prosecution. Floris's lawyers called the filing of the unsigned and unsworn charge "outrageous government conduct", stating in a statement that in their combined decades of DOJ service, they had never encountered such a filing. CBS News reports that in a two-day federal court hearing in Washington, D.C., defense attorneys questioned the strength of evidence and the motives behind the charges.

The defense raised several procedural concerns. FBI agent Bryan Witt acknowledged that key witnesses were not interviewed, including Floris herself or congressional staff with direct knowledge of the testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. The defense also highlighted that some of the questions posed to their clients lacked specificity about which Hunter Biden investigation was being referenced, given that multiple criminal and counterintelligence investigations existed.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui indicated he would review the charging document line by line to determine if probable cause existed that a crime was committed. This review was expected to take place on Thursday. Agent Witt told defense attorneys he remained confident in the veracity of the allegations.

How it is being reported

• Lawyers question case against ex-FBI officials over Hunter Biden probeDefense attorneys for two former FBI counterintelligence officials accused of lying to Congress raised doubts about the strength of the evidence and the motives behind the charges.CBS News · 28 Oct, 21:24
• Ex-FBI official's lawyers slam unusual new criminal charge: 'Outrageous government conduct'Two ex-FBI officials were initially accused by the DOJ of lying when they testified to Congress in 2023 about their involvement in Hunter Biden investigations.CNBC · 27 Oct, 15:19
• Trump's DOJ unveils bombshell new charges for ex-FBI agents accused of Hunter Biden laptop 'cover-up'Two former FBI officials accused of orchestrating Hunter Biden's laptop 'cover-up' were slapped with bombshell new charges by President Donald Trump's Justice Department.Daily Mail · 27 Oct, 14:57

In this story: Nikki Floris · Bradley Benavides · Hunter Biden · Kash Patel · Jeanine Pirro · House Judiciary Committee · FBI · Department of Justice

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log