Judge dismisses case against former FBI officials who DOJ believes hampered Biden family corruption probe

A federal magistrate judge threw out the criminal complaint against Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, two former FBI officials accused of lying to Congress, CNN · Fox News, MS NOW and NBC News report. Judge Zia Faruqui ruled Monday that prosecutors had not shown probable cause. NBC News says the complaint centered on how the pair described their roles in Hunter Biden-related work when they appeared before the House Judiciary Committee in 2023. Faruqui called the effort weaponization, and CNN · Fox News adds that he said it began at President Donald Trump's direction.

Testimony from FBI agent Bryan Witt shaped the outcome. CNN · Fox News reports he conceded having no evidence of motive or of intent to mislead, and said FBI Director Kash Patel demanded the inquiry after a Trump speech. MS NOW notes the charges came about ten days before the midterms. NBC News adds that prosecutor Carlton Davis had acknowledged by phone that the complaint was flawed, and that the case could return only if grand jurors found probable cause, which seems unlikely. Benavides's lawyers said they hoped no grand jury would now hear it in secret.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN · Fox News, MS NOW and NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN · Fox News → Also at MS NOW → Also at NBC News →