Judge Zia Faruqui Dismisses Charges Against Former FBI Agents Over Hunter Biden Laptop Claims
The federal judge called the investigation 'weaponized' and cited procedural errors that led to the case being dropped two weeks before the midterm elections.
By Giulia Marshall ·
A federal judge in Washington dismissed criminal charges against two former FBI officials on Monday, ruling that the investigation into their congressional testimony was rushed and politically motivated. The decision ends the case against Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, who were accused of making false statements about the Hunter Biden laptop. U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui stated from the bench that the process "cannot be described as anything other than weaponization." The dismissal comes just two weeks before Tuesday's midterm voting, a timing Faruqui noted with visible frustration.
The investigation opened one day after President Donald Trump delivered a primetime speech in July 2026 reiterating grievances over his 2020 election loss. Faruqui pointed out that FBI Director Kash Patel mandated the inquiry and closely tracked its progress. An FBI agent who worked the case testified that he feared the probe would be viewed as "political." The judge also criticized the Justice Department for filing an amended complaint overnight with an additional charge directly to the docket without first clearing it with the court, a procedural step Faruqi said he had never seen before.
The original complaint alleged that Floris and Benavides misled Congress in 2023 regarding their knowledge of efforts to investigate a laptop dropped off by Hunter Biden at a Delaware computer repair shop in 2019. Prosecutors argued that the agents provided a defensive briefing to lawmakers in 2020 that undermined a Republican investigation. Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin previously claimed that briefing was used to link the probe to Russian disinformation. The Justice Department chose to charge the case via a criminal complaint rather than seeking a grand jury indictment, a method typically reserved for cases where immediate custody is required.
Faruqi questioned why the Justice Department waited until late October to file the complaint, noting the agency could have brought the case at any time since the statements were made in 2023. He remarked, "I will not bury my head in the sand and pretend that I cannot read a calendar." While the Justice Department retains the opportunity to pursue a grand jury indictment, Faruqi's ruling serves as a setback for the department. The judge's skepticism was evident early in the proceedings as he challenged the unorthodox maneuvers used to bring the case forward.
