Pirro Files Perjury Indictment Against Two Ex-FBI Executives

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro has charged two former FBI executives with perjury, alleging they lied to Congress about their involvement in the Hunter Biden laptop investigation. The Justice Department announced the indictment on Friday against Nikki Floris, a former intelligence division lead in Washington, and Bradley Benavides, a former deputy assistant director for counterintelligence. Each faces a maximum prison sentence of five years if convicted. Both appeared before a federal magistrate judge on Friday morning and were subsequently released.

The prosecution argues that Floris and Benavides intentionally withheld key information while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee in 2023. An FBI affidavit states that Floris denied any involvement in the probes despite maintaining frequent communication with the case team for over a year. The document claims she coordinated the bureau's response to media reports about the laptop in real time, contradicting her testimony that she knew nothing of the device. Benavides testified months later that he learned about the laptop from a Wikipedia entry while preparing for his deposition. Prosecutors say he was actually in constant communication regarding the device for several days.

Pirro stated that the pair undermined the institutions they swore to protect. She described their actions as striking at the heart of the democratic system, asserting that senior agents believing they are above the law justify the application of justice. A member of the House Judiciary Committee told the court that the officials' answers influenced the investigation by blocking follow-up interviews and subpoenas.

Defense attorneys for Floris rejected the charges, arguing the government relied on political assertions rather than facts. They characterized Floris as a patriot with nearly 20 years of service and called the timing of the filing a coincidence ahead of the election. Ron Safer, representing Benavides, asked the court to review whether prosecutors possessed sufficient evidence against two long-term public servants.

US Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui questioned the material impact of the alleged lies and the age of the testimony. He granted a request for an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Tuesday, a timeline he noted was rare for defendants released without custody. Faruqui observed that the charges came more than three years after the original testimony. He described the situation as a persistent burden for the defendants, noting their strong professional reputations and desire to clear their names quickly.

The laptop was handed to the FBI in 2019 after a computer shop owner claimed Hunter Biden dropped it off and never returned for it. The owner said he turned the device over to authorities after viewing some contents. The case arrives as numerous FBI agents who worked on investigations involving President Donald Trump have been pushed out of the bureau since the start of his second term.