Two former FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about Hunter Biden investigations

Two former FBI officials were charged on Friday with lying to Congress about their involvement in the bureau's investigations into Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, the Associated Press reported. Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, each face one count of making false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Both surrendered Friday morning and made their first appearance in federal court in Washington, the AP and CBS News reported. The case was brought by criminal complaint, which means prosecutors have not yet obtained an indictment from a grand jury, NPR reported.

Floris and Benavides were leaders of the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, which worked to protect the 2020 election from foreign interference and has since been disbanded, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors allege that in 2023 interviews with the House Judiciary Committee, Floris said she had no discussions about Hunter Biden while at the task force, and Benavides said he learned of the FBI's possession of Hunter Biden's laptop from a Wikipedia article. The government says documents, communications and witness accounts contradict that testimony.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the charges. FBI Director Kash Patel said in the Justice Department's statement that "anyone who abuses their position of public trust will be held accountable."

Lawyers for Floris said in a statement that she was "a patriot" who served the FBI for nearly 20 years and that the Justice Department "has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts," NBC News reported. They also questioned the timing, weeks before the midterm elections. An attorney for Benavides was not yet listed on the court docket, according to NBC News. As the Justice Department noted, charges in a complaint are allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.