FBI Director Kash Patel on Friday outlined allegations against two former senior FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about their knowledge of investigations involving Hunter Biden’s laptop, reviving a controversy that shaped the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election.
Nikki Cole Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, surrendered to authorities on Friday after a criminal complaint accused each of making materially false statements to the House Judiciary Committee during interviews in 2023. Both face one count under federal law prohibiting knowingly and willfully making false statements in matters within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch.
Patel said in a post on X Friday that the charges against the agents stemmed from an ongoing investigation into the since-dissolved FBI Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF).
"Floris led the FITF as a Deputy Assistant Director from mid-2019 through mid-2022. Benavides was the FITF Section Chief from mid-2019 through the 2020 election. Both testified that the FITF was not involved in the Hunter Biden investigations. Documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications, and witness accounts contradict their testimony," Patel wrote on X.
Patel also referred to an allegation that Floris privately described herself as “running a shadow government” during the 2020 election.
"Lying to Congress by senior FBI officials strikes at the heart of our system. No one is above the law," he added.
...
Hunter Biden’s Laptop Scandal Explained
The controversy began after Hunter Biden, the son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, left a MacBook at a Delaware computer repair shop in 2019, according to the shop owner. The FBI obtained the computer’s contents that December as part of investigations involving potential tax and money-laundering offenses, according to the newly filed affidavit.
The laptop became a political flashpoint on October 14, 2020, when the New York Post published emails it said came from a copy of the hard drive provided by Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for then-President Donald Trump.
The published material included correspondence about Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and his position on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company. One email attributed to Burisma adviser Vadym Pozharskyi thanked Hunter Biden for an opportunity to meet his father, then vice president. The correspondence raised questions about potential overlaps between Hunter Biden’s business relationships and his father’s public responsibilities, but the email alone did not establish that Joe Biden took official action to benefit his son. Joe Biden denied involvement in his son’s business dealings.
The laptop and related digital evidence also drew attention for photographs, videos and messages documenting Hunter Biden’s drug use. During his 2024 federal gun trial, prosecutors presented messages and other evidence concerning crack cocaine to support allegations that Biden had lied about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018.
With the 2020 election approaching, Trump and his allies cited the emails as evidence of potential corruption, while some former intelligence officials warned that the circumstances surrounding their release bore hallmarks of a possible Russian influence operation. Subsequent examinations supported the authenticity of at least some laptop data, including emails, although questions about the chain of custody and the integrity of individual files remained relevant.
The Justice Department’s announcement on Friday alleges that Floris and Benavides discussed the laptop and the bureau’s response to reporting about it, despite later telling Congress that the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force was not involved in the Hunter Biden investigations.
“Lying to Congress by anyone strikes at the heart of our democratic system but when senior FBI agents lie to Congress believing they are above the law, it’s time to bring the hammer of justice down on them,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro Friday.
“When senior officials entrusted with safeguarding our nation’s security choose deception over duty, they undermine the very institutions they swore to uphold. Today’s action makes clear that no one is above the law, and we will hold accountable all who obstruct the truth.”