Two former FBI officials are charged in the Hunter Biden laptop probe

Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, who oversaw the FBI's Foreign Intelligence Task Force, are charged with lying to Congress. They made their first court appearance in Washington on Friday.

Prosecutors say the pair told Congress the unit was not involved in the laptop investigation, and that messages from the same period contradict it. Their lawyers deny the charge.

United States

Their lawyers say the charges come days before the Nov 3 midterm vote to revive the saga. The Justice Department has historically avoided overt steps near an election that could influence the outcome.