Lawyers for the two accused officials said the Justice Department is trying to revive the scandal before the midterm vote.
Published October 23, 2026
Two former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials have been indicted in connection with a 2020 investigation into a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden.
Former staffers Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavidez were charged with lying to Congress. The two made their first court appearance Friday in Washington, D.C.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Lawyers for the officials accused the Justice Department of filing the charges in an effort to revive the sordid legend, days before the Nov. 3 midterm vote. Republicans face a tough battle with Democrats to maintain control of Congress in midterm voting.
Floris’ lawyer said he “served our country as a full-time FBI agent for nearly 20 years” and accused the Justice Department of building the case on hearsay.
“Today, however, the Department of Justice (DOJ) falsely accused her based on statements made by politicians, not facts,” the statement said.
“It is no coincidence that, all these years later, the government is making such nonsense accusations on the eve of an election.”
Floris and Benavidez were overseeing the FBI’s Foreign Intelligence Task Force (FITF) when Hunter Biden’s laptop was discovered. They testified before Congress that the unit, which focuses on foreign interference in U.S. elections, was not involved in investigating the laptop incident.
Federal prosecutors argued in the criminal complaint that this statement was inconsistent with messages sent around the same time.
FITF was launched by Trump during his first term, but was heavily targeted by Republicans under former US President Joe Biden. They claimed the unit was politically biased and was being used to hide information about Biden’s laptop.
The unit was disbanded when Trump became president for the second time in January 2025.
scandalous story
The laptop’s existence became known in October 2020, weeks before Biden and Trump faced off in the presidential election.
Its strange origins raised suspicions as it was dropped off at a computer repair shop in Delaware and apparently abandoned by Hunter Biden. The details were first reported by the New York Post, based on information provided to President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Multiple former intelligence officials have warned that the laptop bears the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign. But the FBI later seized the laptop and confirmed its contents, which contained messages related to the younger Biden’s foreign business connections and explicit photos of drug use, were authentic.
The laptop was later used to support federal gun and tax evasion charges against Hunter Biden, but no wrongdoing related to his business relationships or ties to his father was found.
Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel has promised to investigate the agency’s conduct during Biden’s term in office. Critics have accused him of flagrant politicization.
“The lies to Congress by top FBI officials undermine the very foundations of our system. No one is above the law,” Patel said in a statement published in X.
The Justice Department has previously sought to avoid open and overt investigations that risk involving candidates or influencing the outcome right before elections.
But authorities have taken a series of bold moves in the past two weeks in politically charged cases, including raiding the home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar in an investigation into immigration fraud.
The department also dismissed corruption charges against influential Democratic Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas on Thursday.
