Judge dismisses FBI officials' perjury case

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed criminal charges against two former FBI officials on Monday. The decision ended a federal case accusing Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides of lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden investigation. Faruqui issued the ruling from the bench, criticizing the government for using the justice system as a tool of political pressure.

The judge described the prosecution as a 'rush job' directed by President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel. He stated that the handling of the case could not be described as anything other than weaponization. This verdict follows a series of hearings in which Faruqui questioned the government's decision to pursue the case through a criminal complaint rather than a grand jury indictment.

Prosecutors originally alleged that Floris and Benavides made false statements during congressional interviews in 2023. They claimed the officials' answers were contradicted by internal FBI communications and witness accounts regarding what they knew about Hunter Biden's laptop and the bureau's handling of investigations ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The case stemmed from long-standing Republican accusations that political bias influenced the bureau's decisions during that period.

During a preliminary hearing last week, Faruqui criticized prosecutors for attempting to add obstruction charges without securing prior judicial approval. The government filed an unsigned and unsworn criminal complaint to make this change. Faruqui struck the revised complaint from the record, forcing prosecutors to proceed only on their original allegations that the former officials lied to Congress.

Defense attorneys noted that the revised complaint also softened the government's original allegations about the officials' involvement in Hunter Biden investigations. Faruqui questioned why prosecutors bypassed standard procedures in filing the new document. He has previously clashed with federal prosecutors in Washington over cases brought under the Trump administration, accusing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office of overreaching by bringing local matters into federal court.

The judge also referenced his criticism of the treatment of Cole Allen, the suspect accused of plotting an assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in May. Faruqui apologized to Allen for being held in five-point restraints. He called it 'extremely disturbing' that a person with no criminal history was subjected to such measures, noting he had never heard of a January 6 defendant being treated the same way. The White House and FBI were reached for comment but had not responded as of Monday.