Judge Dismisses Case Against Former FBI Officials Over Weaponization

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed a criminal complaint against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides on Monday. The two officials, previously members of the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, were accused of lying to Congress regarding investigations into Hunter Biden's laptop.

Faruqui characterized the Justice Department's actions as the weaponization of federal law enforcement and a political prosecution timed for the midterm elections. He noted that prosecutors failed to provide sufficient evidence that the officials knowingly made false statements and criticized the government's irregular decision to use a criminal complaint rather than a grand jury indictment.

Testimony from FBI agent Bryan Witt revealed that FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the investigation shortly after President Donald Trump delivered a speech on election security in July. Witt testified that he feared the probe would be viewed as political. The dismissal serves as a direct rebuke to Patel, who had claimed that weaponization would not be tolerated at the bureau when the charges were first announced on October 23.

While the Justice Department may still attempt to secure an indictment through a grand jury, the current charges have been thrown out.