Politics
JUST IN: Pair Of Senior FBI Officials Arrested
Two former senior FBI officials surrendered to federal authorities Friday after the Justice Department accused them of lying to Congress about their involvement in investigations connected to Hunter Biden and his controversial laptop.
Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides, both former members of the FBI’s now-disbanded Foreign Influence Task Force, face criminal charges stemming from testimony they provided to Congress in 2023.
Federal prosecutors allege the pair concealed their knowledge of matters involving former President Joe Biden’s son, raising fresh questions about accountability inside the bureau.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro delivered a blistering warning following the arrests.
“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,” Pirro said.
“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.”
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According to the Justice Department, investigators uncovered evidence allegedly contradicting statements both former officials made under congressional questioning.
Benavides reportedly testified that he first learned about the Hunter Biden laptop controversy through Wikipedia.
Prosecutors, however, claim they possess evidence showing he previously discussed the laptop story with other FBI personnel.
Floris faces similar allegations involving her interactions with members of the bureau’s Foreign Influence Task Force.
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The Justice Department maintains that she discussed Hunter Biden with task force personnel despite allegedly telling Congress otherwise.
The accusations place renewed attention on the FBI‘s handling of politically sensitive investigations connected to the 2020 presidential election.
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FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrests Friday, identifying both defendants as former members of the task force.
“This morning the FBI arrested two former FBI members of the now dissolved Foreign Influence Task Force, Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, both of whom allegedly lied to Congress in 2023 on matters regarding investigations related to the 2020 election,” Patel said.
Patel also highlighted a particularly explosive allegation involving one of the former officials.
“One of these individuals is on record privately claiming to be ‘running a shadow government’ during the 2020 election. As we’ve said repeatedly: weaponization will never be tolerated at this FBI.”
The FBI director did not identify which defendant allegedly made the remark, and the circumstances surrounding that statement were not detailed in the provided account.
Floris’ attorneys fired back, accusing prosecutors of bringing politically motivated charges shortly before the midterm elections.
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“Nikki Floris is a patriot. She served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years. Yet today, the DOJ has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts. It’s no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election,” her attorneys said.
The defense’s response sets up a contentious legal battle over what the former officials knew, what they told lawmakers and whether prosecutors can establish that their statements were knowingly false.
The charges do not establish that either defendant interfered with the 2020 election or improperly influenced the underlying Hunter Biden investigations.
Both Floris and Benavides are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Still, the arrests represent a significant escalation in the Justice Department’s examination of testimony involving one of the most politically contentious FBI investigations in recent years.
The case now moves into the federal court system, where prosecutors will have to substantiate their allegations with evidence rather than political accusations.
