Two former FBI officials charged with false statements to Congress over 2020 election task force roles

As of 11:39 a.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

Two former FBI officials, Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, surrendered on arrest warrants Friday morning after being charged with lying to Congress about their roles on the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 election, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said in a post on X.

A criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charges both under 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2), listed in the complaint as "False Statements to Congress." Floris is named in the complaint as Nicole Floris. The two are accused, not convicted, and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Floris and Benavides made their first appearance Friday in federal court in Washington, The Associated Press reported.

The charges

The complaint says the alleged offenses took place on or about July 19, 2023, and Sept. 28, 2023, in the District of Columbia. It is dated Oct. 20, 2026, and was signed by Byron Militello, a special agent, and by U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh.

What the prosecutor alleges

Pirro described Floris, 46, and Benavides, 56, as former senior FBI officials.

"Floris and Benavides allegedly lied to Congress about their roles in the FBI's Hunter Biden investigations, with one claiming they only learned about it from Wikipedia - despite evidence showing their involvement in helping shape the public narrative about Hunter Biden's laptop right before the election," Pirro wrote.

"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," she wrote.

"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 AP described the two as former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference and reported that they were charged with making false statements about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden's laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Floris' lawyers respond

"Nikki Floris is a patriot. She served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years. Yet today, the DOJ has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts. It's no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election," her attorneys said in a statement, according to the AP.

The AP reported that the case comes ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

What is not known

Pirro's post did not say which of the two made the Wikipedia claim. The complaint lists two dates in 2023 but does not say which statements are at issue or which defendant is accused of making them on which date.