US department of justice charges 2 former FBI officials with lying to congress about Hunter Biden's laptop

Two former senior FBI officials have been charged with lying to Congress about their roles in matters involving Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 election, according to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

Pirro announced on X that Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, surrendered on arrest warrants on Friday, October 23, She said the charges concerned their accounts of their work on the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force.

According to Pirro, one of the former officials told Congress they had learned about the laptop inquiry through Wikipedia. Prosecutors allege that evidence instead showed involvement in shaping the public narrative surrounding the laptop before the 2020 election. Floris and Benavides each face one count of lying to Congress. They made their initial court appearances on Friday and are scheduled to return for a hearing on Tuesday, October 27.

Lawyers representing Floris denied wrongdoing, describing their client as a “patriot” who was being falsely accused “on the say-so of politicians.” The charges were announced shortly before the 2026 midterm elections. The allegations have yet to be proven in court.