U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed criminal charges against former FBI officials Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides on Monday, ruling from the bench after a series of hearings. Prosecutors had accused the two of lying during congressional interviews in 2023 about their knowledge of Hunter Biden’s laptop and the FBI’s handling of investigations involving him.
The allegations concerned the bureau’s actions ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors said the officials’ statements were contradicted by internal FBI communications and witness accounts. The supplied account does not detail the specific statements or evidence presented at the hearings.
Faruqui sharply criticized the government’s handling of the case. He characterized the prosecution as a rushed effort and described what had occurred as “weaponization.” He also questioned why prosecutors proceeded by criminal complaint rather than seeking a grand jury indictment. According to the account, he faulted them for trying to add another charge without first obtaining judicial approval.
Republicans have accused the FBI of mishandling information concerning Hunter Biden before the 2020 election and have argued that political bias shaped the bureau’s decisions. Those criticisms provide the political context for the allegations against Floris and Benavides; the source does not say the judge’s ruling resolved the broader dispute over the FBI’s conduct.
The ruling ends the criminal complaint against the two former officials, but the source does not specify whether prosecutors may appeal or take further action. It also does not provide a written ruling or explain the full legal grounds for dismissal. Faruqui’s comments, as reported, focused on the prosecution’s procedures and decisions as well as his condemnation of the government’s approach.
The report notes that Faruqui, appointed as a magistrate judge in 2020, has previously criticized federal prosecutors in matters connected to the Trump administration. It cites his objections to the handling of a separate defendant accused of plotting an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, including the defendant’s use of five-point restraints. It also describes disagreements with prosecutors over federal cases arising from law-enforcement surge operations in Washington. These episodes are background and are separate from the case against Floris and Benavides.
