Ex-FBI officials arrested in Hunter Biden laptop probe as testimony comes under scrutiny

October 23, 2026 11:04am EDT / Fox News

Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides were arrested Friday after allegedly downplaying their knowledge of investigations

By Robert Schmad

The Department of Justice charged two former FBI officials with lying to Congress about their involvement in FBI investigations into Hunter Biden, including matters involving his laptop.

Former FBI officials Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides, according to the DOJ, falsely denied involvement in the investigations into former President Joe Biden’s son when speaking to Congress. Both surrendered Friday on arrest warrants, according to the DOJ.

“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,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said of the charges.

“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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Hunter Biden, left, and attorney Abbe David Lowell.(Tom Williams/Getty Images)

The Justice Department claims to possess evidence that shows Benavides discussed the laptop story with others in the FBI, contradicting his testimony that he learned about the story from Wikipedia. Similarly, the department says that it has evidence Floris discussed Hunter Biden with members of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, despite testifying to the contrary.

FBI agents stand outside the home of Lakiya Malone, who is charged with fraud involving federal homelessness aid programs, in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

“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 in a statement.

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FBI Director Kash Patel is sworn in to testify during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on September 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The committee held the oversight hearing to examine the Federal Bureau of Investigation.(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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“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,” FBI Director Kash Patel said of the arrests. “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.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.