DOJ accuses ex-FBI officials of lying about Hunter Biden probe
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The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is displayed at the J. Edgar Hoover Building on August 8 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Kevin Carter/Getty Images
The Justice Department alleged that two ex-FBI officials lied to Congress about the bureau's investigations into Hunter Biden, according to a complaint unveiled Friday.
The big picture: Republicans in Congress have continued to question the government's handling of probes into the former president's son, who was ultimately convicted of federal gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax offenses.
- President Biden later pardoned his son.
Driving the news: Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, former officials in the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, surrendered Friday morning, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said in a social media post.
- "Nikki Floris is a patriot," her attorneys said in a statement. "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," they added.
- An attorney listed for Benavides did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
What's inside: The statement of facts unsealed in federal court Friday alleges that Floris, who has previously come under Republican scrutiny, and Benavides "knowingly and willfully provided materially false information about their awareness of and involvement in the FBI's investigations into Hunter Biden" in 2023.
- In a July 2023 interview, Floris allegedly told the House Judiciary Committee that she was not involved in discussions about Hunter Biden, and that September, Benavides suggested he knew about the saga involving the younger Biden's laptop through Wikipedia.
- The court filing alleges they were more involved than they let on.
- A staffer cited in the statement of facts, who was said to be present in those interviews, alleged that Floris and Benavides made untrue statements about their involvement, and that those answers thwarted further investigatory measures.
Worth noting: The case, which comes less than two weeks before the midterm elections, was brought by criminal complaint. The pair hasn't been indicted by federal grand jury in D.C.
- The AP reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said it was "rare" to "have charges this old coming in this nature."
Catch up quick: FBI Director Kash Patel said the charges stem from a probe into the disbanded FBI Foreign Influence Task Force.
Go deeper: Hunter Biden charms his trolls
