Two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides, were taken into custody and charged with allegedly making false statements to Congress about their involvement in the FBI’s investigations into Hunter Biden. The case centers on the Hunter Biden laptop investigation and the role of the since-dissolved Foreign Influence Task Force, known as the FITF.
Floris, 46, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Benavides, 56, of Aiken, South Carolina, were both charged with making false statements about the investigation. The allegations focus on testimony each gave about whether the FITF played a role in the FBI’s work involving Hunter Biden.
Floris led the FITF as a Deputy Assistant Director from mid-2019 through mid-2022. Benavides served as the FITF Section Chief from mid-2019 through the 2020 election. Both testified that the task force was not involved in the Hunter Biden investigations.
The Department of Justice said documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications, and witness accounts contradict that testimony. The DOJ said: “Evidence shows that Floris discussed the FBI’s investigations into Hunter Biden routinely for more than a year both within the FITF and with others in the FBI. Contrary to his assertion that he learned of the Hunter Biden laptop from Wikipedia, Benavides regularly discussed the laptop with FBI officials in the leadup to the 2020 election.”
Patel also said Floris privately claimed to be “running a shadow government” during the 2020 election while serving in her FITF role.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the charges stem from an ongoing investigation into the dissolved task force. He said documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications, and witness accounts contradict the testimony from Floris and Benavides.
Patel said, “Lying to Congress by senior FBI officials strikes at the heart of our system. No one is above the law.” He also wrote, “The FBI has already dismantled the corrupt CR-15 squad that engaged in political weaponization targeting their opponents, including President Trump.”
Patel’s post thanked the Justice Department, the FBI’s Kansas City office, and U.S. Attorney Pirro.
U.S. Attorney Pirro also emphasized the seriousness of the allegations. “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,” Pirro added.
The arrests put renewed attention on the FBI’s role in the Hunter Biden laptop investigation and on the testimony senior officials provided to Congress. The central dispute is whether the FITF was involved and whether the statements from Floris and Benavides matched the documentary record described by the Justice Department.
Two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides, were taken into custody today on charges of allegedly lying to Congress about their involvement in the FBI’s investigations into Hunter Biden.
The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into the…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 23, 2026