Judge dismisses case accusing ex-FBI officials of lying about Hunter Biden probe
A federal magistrate judge in Washington threw out a criminal complaint against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides. He found no probable cause they lied to Congress about the Hunter Biden laptop investigation and called the prosecution weaponization timed near the midterms.
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The ruling
U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui on Monday dismissed the criminal complaint against Floris and Benavides, Breitbart, Straight Arrow News and The Daily Caller reported. Faruqui said what has transpired cannot be described as anything other than weaponization, according to those outlets and The Epoch Times.
How the case was charged
Prosecutors brought the case by criminal complaint rather than a grand jury indictment and filed it about two weeks before Election Day, Washington Examiner and Roll Call reported. Faruqui criticized the timing and what he described as a rushed investigation. The Justice Department can still seek a grand jury indictment or appeal, coverage noted.
What both sides are saying
Outlets that covered the dismissal reported the judge's weaponization language and the department's remaining options, including Straight Arrow News, Daily Caller, Breitbart and Epoch Times. Outlets that backed pursuing the officials still described the ruling as a setback for the prosecution.