A federal judge dismissed criminal charges Monday against two former FBI officials accused of lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden investigation, sharply criticizing the Justice Department’s handling of the case and saying it reflected a weaponization of the legal system.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed the complaint against Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides from the bench. He described the prosecution as rushed and said it appeared to have been directed by President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel.
The allegations centered on statements the former officials made during congressional interviews in 2023. Prosecutors said their accounts of what they knew about Hunter Biden’s laptop and the FBI’s investigations were contradicted by internal bureau communications and witness accounts.
Faruqui’s decision followed a series of hearings in which he questioned why prosecutors had proceeded with a criminal complaint instead of seeking a grand jury indictment. He also criticized their attempt to add another charge without first obtaining the court’s approval.
Republicans have long accused the FBI of mishandling information about Hunter Biden before the 2020 presidential election, arguing that political bias influenced the bureau’s decisions.
Faruqui, appointed as a magistrate judge in 2020, has also criticized other cases brought during the Trump administration. In May, he expressed concern about the jail treatment of Cole Allen, who is accused of plotting an assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Faruqui said he found it troubling that Allen, who had no criminal record, had been placed in five-point restraints.
He has also challenged federal prosecutors in Washington over cases arising from the administration’s law-enforcement surge, arguing that some matters belonged in local rather than federal court.
