Judge dismisses DOJ case against ex‑FBI officials in Hunter Biden probe
newsNov 2, 20263483
U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui on Monday dismissed the Justice Department’s criminal complaint against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, saying the prosecution “cannot be described as anything other than weaponization.” The two had been accused of making false statements to the House Judiciary Committee about the FBI’s role in investigations tied to Hunter Biden. Faruqui said the government lacked probable cause and failed to show the officials knowingly lied, called the case a “slapdash job” rushed ahead of the midterm election, and apologized to the government’s lawyers for assigning them to prosecute it. Prosecutors brought the allegations by criminal complaint on Oct. 23 rather than by grand jury indictment, a charging choice Faruqui flagged as unusual and questioned when they sought to add an obstruction count last week. The Department of Justice said it “disagrees” with the dismissal and is evaluating options, while lawyers for Floris and Benavides praised the ruling and warned the DOJ against pursuing a closed-door grand jury indictment to revive the matter. Faruqui’s ruling ends the current criminal complaint but leaves open the possibility the DOJ could seek other charging paths.
