Judge Dismisses Case Against Two Ex-FBI Officials in Hunter Biden Probe

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a criminal complaint against two former FBI officials accused of lying to Congress during its investigation of Hunter Biden.

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui found the government had failed to show probable cause that Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides lied to lawmakers about what they knew about the investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop.

The complaint alleged the pair lied about their roles on the Foreign Influence Task Force and about their roles in the FBI's Hunter Biden investigations while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee in 2023.

The dismissal is not an acquittal. The case was brought by criminal complaint rather than being presented to a federal grand jury, and the Justice Department could still seek an indictment. In a statement, the department said it "disagrees with the Magistrate's decision" and is "evaluating all options," adding that its actions "will continue to be guided by the facts, the evidence, and the law - not politics."

At a preliminary hearing last week, an FBI agent testified he was concerned the investigation, which had been directed by FBI Director Kash Patel, would be viewed as "political," and acknowledged a prosecutor on the case had described the criminal complaint as flawed.

Floris and Benavides had worked on security issues for the 2020 presidential election and had been targets of criticism from close allies of the president.