US judge dismisses the case against two former FBI officials

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ruled on Monday that prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence against Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides. Both former senior FBI officials were accused of lying to Congress.

Background

The case alleged they misled Congress in 2023 about an investigation into a laptop the Justice Department says Hunter Biden left at a Delaware computer shop in 2019. An FBI agent testified the probe began last July under FBI Director Kash Patel.

The investigation “cannot be described as anything other than weaponization.”

— Judge Zia Faruqui

What's next

The Justice Department may still seek a grand jury indictment of the two former officials, though the ruling weakens its case.