Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides were arrested Friday after allegedly downplaying their knowledge of investigations.
By Catholics for Catholics
Two former FBI officials who allegedly connived to “shape the public narrative” on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop were charged Friday for lying to Congress about their participation in smearing stories about the troubled first son, according to federal authorities.
Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides turned themselves in and are facing up to five years in prison each upon conviction. Through their lawyers, the former senior officials on the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) denied any misconduct, according to a story by Fox News.
“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.”
According to a story by Fox News, the Justice Department says it has proof that shows Benavides discussed the laptop story with others in the FBI, disproving his testimony that he learned about the story from Wikipedia. Likewise, the department says that it has evidence Floris discussed Hunter Biden with members of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF), despite testifying differently.
The DOJ refers to a statement of facts filed in a 2023 testimony that Floris gave to the House Judiciary Committee, where she rejected any participation in the probe into Biden’s son. She denied questions about whether there was “ever a discussion at the FITF about Hunter Biden” or if she had “any involvement in the Hunter Biden investigation.”
Contrasting these statements, the DOJ pointed to email logs purporting to show that Floris discussed Hunter with colleagues at the bureau.
“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.
