Judge drops case against ex-FBI agents
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ruled prosecutors failed to establish probable cause in the complaint against Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides.
By Naomi Tesfaye ·
A federal judge dismissed a criminal complaint against two former FBI officials on Monday. The ruling clears the path for the pair to exit the case without facing a grand jury indictment.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui determined the government did not demonstrate probable cause. She found that Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides did not lie to lawmakers about their knowledge of the Hunter Biden laptop investigation. Data from that computer previously led to criminal charges against Hunter Biden.
The complaint accused the agents of misleading the House Judiciary Committee in 2023. It claimed they misrepresented their roles on the Foreign Influence Task Force and in the FBI's handling of the Hunter Biden matter. The case originated as a criminal complaint rather than a grand jury indictment in Washington.
The dismissal followed testimony from an FBI agent at a preliminary hearing last week. The agent expressed concern that the investigation, directed by FBI Director Kash Patel, would appear political. He also noted that a prosecutor admitted the complaint was flawed during a phone call.
Carlton Davis, a former Republican Hill staffer and top aide to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, worked on the case. Davis was also involved in the failed indictment of six sitting members of Congress over a social media video. Pirro's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
Floris and Benavides had worked on security issues for the 2020 presidential election. They drew criticism from close allies of the president prior to the hearing. Faruqui previously criticized the government for filing an unsigned complaint on the court docket without judicial permission.
Attorneys for Benavides called the accusations political theater. Their statement described Benavides as a patriot and public servant who is innocent. The lawyers expressed gratitude that the judge weighed the evidence against the law and found the government could not meet the burden of probable cause.
Source: NBC Connecticut
