Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides Charged With Lying to Congress
Two former FBI officials face charges of lying to Congress, each carrying up to five years in prison if convicted.
Event / Politics
Former FBI Officials Charged
Former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides were each charged on October 23, 2026, with one count of lying to Congress about their roles in FBI investigations of Hunter Biden, including matters involving a laptop attributed to him. The charges concern their 2023 House Judiciary Committee interviews. Prosecutors allege their communications and involvement in the investigation conflict with their testimony. Both surrendered on arrest warrants and appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C. Each faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Floris's attorneys deny the charges, and Benavides's attorney requested a prompt preliminary hearing.
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2026-10-24 to 2026-10-26 · UTC publication dates
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What happened
Charging documents against Floris and Benavides unsealed on October 23, 2026
Court documents charging Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides with lying to Congress were unsealed on October 23, 2026.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated the Foreign Influence Task Force has been dissolved
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force has been dissolved. The task force is the unit in which Floris and Benavides served.
Each charged official faces up to five years in prison if convicted
Each of the two former FBI officials faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on the charge of lying to Congress if convicted.
Senators Grassley and Johnson requested testimony from Floris and Benavides in August 2022
On August 25, 2022, Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson sent a letter to Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides requesting that they appear to testify about the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force and defensive briefings given to the senators.
Benavides is alleged to have discussed the New York Post laptop story the day it was published
Prosecutors allege that Benavides discussed the New York Post story on Hunter Biden's laptop on the day it was published, and that he was involved in discussions of the Hunter Biden investigation, including with an assistant special agent in charge of the probe.
New York Post published its Hunter Biden laptop story on October 14, 2020
The New York Post published a story on October 14, 2020, about the contents of a laptop attributed to Hunter Biden. The newspaper said it had obtained a hard drive from Rudy Giuliani, a computer dropped off by Hunter Biden at a Wilmington, Delaware repair shop.
Benavides testified to the House Judiciary Committee that he lacked knowledge of the laptop investigation
On September 28, 2023, Bradley Benavides was interviewed by the House Judiciary Committee. He testified that he had no knowledge of an FBI investigation related to the Hunter Biden laptop during his FBI tenure and that he learned of it from a Wikipedia article while preparing for the interview.
Floris and Benavides held senior roles in the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force
Nikki Floris served as deputy assistant director and functional head of the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force from mid-2019 through mid-2022. Bradley Benavides served as section chief of the task force from mid-2019 through the 2020 presidential election.
Benavides' attorney requested a prompt preliminary hearing
Attorney Ron Safer, representing Bradley Benavides, asked the magistrate judge to schedule a preliminary hearing as soon as possible to determine whether there is probable cause that a crime was committed.
Floris is alleged to have communicated with the Hunter Biden investigation team and circulated a Senate report
Prosecutors allege that Floris communicated frequently with the team investigating Hunter Biden for more than a year, exchanged information about the subject, and circulated the Johnson and Grassley report on the morning it was released.
Former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides charged with lying to Congress
Former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides were each charged with one count of lying to Congress about their roles in FBI investigations of Hunter Biden, including matters involving his laptop. The charges relate to their 2023 House Judiciary Committee interviews. Both surrendered on arrest warrants and made initial appearances in federal court in Washington, D.C.
FBI authenticated the Hunter Biden laptop during his 2024 federal gun trial
The FBI authenticated the laptop attributed to Hunter Biden during his 2024 federal gun trial, when prosecutors introduced it as evidence.
Charges filed ten days before the November 3, 2026 midterm elections
The charges against Floris and Benavides were unsealed about ten days before the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Floris and Benavides arrested or surrendered on arrest warrants
Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered on arrest warrants on Friday, October 23, 2026, and each appeared before a magistrate judge in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Floris testified to the House Judiciary Committee that she had no involvement in the Hunter Biden investigation
On July 19, 2023, Nikki Floris was interviewed by the House Judiciary Committee. She testified that she had no involvement in the Hunter Biden investigation and that there was no discussion of Hunter Biden at the task force with her present.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the charges against the two former FBI officials
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro publicly announced the charges against Floris and Benavides, stating that senior officials who lie to Congress are accountable under the law.
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