DOJ charges two former top FBI officials who were frequent targets of Trump allies

WASHINGTON — Two former FBI officials who have come under withering criticism from allies of President Donald Trump have been charged with allegedly lying to Congress over the investigation into former President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden. A court docket shows that Nikki Floris, the former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, and Bradley Benavides, another FBI official, were facing one count of the rarely-charged criminal offense which can be difficult to prosecute. Hunter Biden was investigated, charged and eventually convicted of gun and tax crimes, before his father pardoned him shortly leaving office. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said in a social media post that Floris and Benavides had surrendered Friday morning.

She alleged that the duo lied about their roles in the Foreign Influence Task Force and “about their roles in the FBI’s Hunter Biden investigations.” Attorneys for Floris said in a statement that Floris was “a patriot” who “served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years” and was charged so the administration could “push a false narrative for a shot at political points.” Attorneys Margaret Donovan, Chris Mattei, Mary Dohrmann and Kyle R. Freeny said in a statement that the “DOJ has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the