Fury as ex-FBI officials are hit with criminal case in Hunter Biden laptop saga on eve of midterms

Published: 11:23 EDT, 23 October 2026 | Updated: 11:30 EDT, 23 October 2026 Two former FBI officials were charged Friday for making false statements to Congress about their roles in probing the origins of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the weeks before the 2020 presidential election.The two ex-senior FBI officials - Nikki Cole Floris of Alexandria, Virginia, and Bradley Benavides, of Aiken, South Carolina - surrendered Friday and made their first appearance in federal court in Washington, DC, authorities said. They were both charged with lying to Congress about their involvement in the Hunter Biden investigation, according to a statement by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro that was shared with the Daily Mail. '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,' Pirro said Friday. '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,' she added. The news comes just 11 days before the Nov. 3 elections - timing that is all but certain to add additional scrutiny to a politically loaded case. This is a developing story and will be updated.