U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui sharply criticized and rejected a Justice Department effort to add felony obstruction charges overnight against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides. The two face charges of lying to Congress regarding the FBI's investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop. Faruqui struck the unsigned superseding complaint for lacking judicial authorization, as testimony revealed FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the probe following a speech by President Trump.
Judge Faruqui strikes superseding complaint
- ▪U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui rejected the DOJ's superseding criminal complaint against Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides
- ▪U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui questioned whether the Justice Department changed its historic charging procedures because prosecutors were afraid of a judicial probable cause finding.
- ▪Assistant U.S. Attorney John Borchert stated during the October 27, 2026 hearing that filing new charges without judicial review was unprecedented in his experience.
DOJ files midnight superseding complaint
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice filed an unsigned and unsworn superseding criminal complaint, seeking to add felony obstruction charges against two former FBI officials
- ▪The DOJ's superseding criminal complaint softened its characterization of former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, describing them as 'involved in' Foreign Influence Task Force work rather than at the 'center'.
Initial charges against former FBI officials
- ▪Former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides were arrested last week and each charged with one count of making false statements to the House Judiciary Committee in 2023.
- ▪Federal prosecutors allege that Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides made materially false statements impeding the House Judiciary Committee's 2023 probe regarding the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force investigation of Hunter Biden's laptop.
Hunter Biden laptop contents
- ▪The FBI seized Hunter Biden's laptop in 2019, while a copy of the hard drive was provided to Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and released by the New York Post before the 2020 election.
- ▪Emails on Hunter Biden's laptop hinted at a meeting between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a Burisma adviser, which the Biden campaign denied.
Story comments
Loading comments…