Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered to federal authorities over testimony about their work on the 2020 investigation.
Two former FBI officials who handled election security during the 2020 presidential race were charged Friday with lying to Congress about their involvement in investigations into Hunter Biden. Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered on arrest warrants in Washington, D.C., where they made their first appearances in federal court, PBS NewsHour reported.
The charges focus on testimony both officials gave regarding their work with the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, a unit established to monitor foreign efforts to interfere in American elections. According to NBC News, the case was initiated through a criminal complaint rather than an indictment, leaving the matter yet to be reviewed by a federal grand jury.
Allegations of false testimony to Congress
Prosecutors alleged that Floris and Benavides made false statements when questioned by lawmakers about whether their unit had any part in reviewing the laptop abandoned by former President Joe Biden’s son. In a social media post, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro stated that both defendants surrendered Friday morning, Fox News reported. Pirro said, “Today’s action makes clear that no one is above the law, and we will hold accountable all who obstruct the truth.”
The Justice Department said it uncovered records that directly contradict statements both officials gave under oath. According to court filings, Benavides told congressional investigators that he first learned about the laptop story from Wikipedia, but investigators assert internal records show he had already discussed the matter with colleagues. Prosecutors similarly alleged Floris spoke with members of the task force about Hunter Biden, despite testifying that the unit had not participated in the inquiry.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who previously criticized the bureau’s past conduct before taking office, praised the arrests and reiterated that misconduct within the agency would face consequences. Defense lawyers for Floris rejected the allegations and criticized the timing of the filing, arguing in a statement that “It’s no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election.”
The laptop probe and task force scrutiny
The accusations trace back to October 2020, when the New York Post first reported on files retrieved from a computer that Hunter Biden had left at a repair shop in Delaware, Al Jazeera reported. The material had been provided to the newspaper through Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. While multiple former intelligence officials initially signed a letter cautioning that the release showed similarities to Russian disinformation efforts, the FBI later took possession of the device and verified its authenticity.
Material gathered from the laptop later contributed to federal tax evasion and firearms charges against Hunter Biden. He was convicted on those counts before receiving a presidential pardon from his father shortly before Joe Biden completed his term in office. Federal investigations did not find evidence of criminal wrongdoing involving the younger Biden’s overseas business ventures or his father.
Both defendants previously held prominent roles inside the bureau. Floris joined the FBI in 2005 as an intelligence analyst, worked on the director’s daily briefing staff, joined the counterterrorism division in 2017, and later served as deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division and lead official for 2020 election security. Benavides focused on election integrity, foreign influence, and Chinese counterintelligence threats. The Foreign Influence Task Force drew persistent Republican criticism during the Biden administration, with critics claiming it shielded the Biden family, and was formally shut down when Trump began his second term in January 2025.
Approaching midterm elections and legal hurdles
The case arrives 10 days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, a period during which the Justice Department historically limits public investigative actions that could affect political contests. Defense attorneys argued the prosecution was motivated by politics as Republicans attempt to retain congressional majorities. The complaint follows other recent high-profile moves by federal authorities, including a search of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar’s home connected to an immigration inquiry and a corruption indictment against Virginia state Senator L. Louise Lucas.
The charges of lying to Congress represent a rarely prosecuted offense that often faces evidentiary hurdles. Because federal prosecutors brought the case via complaint, they must still present evidence to a grand jury in Washington, where jurors previously declined to indict six Democratic members of Congress over a separate matter earlier this year.
