Magistrate judge dismisses false-statements case against two former FBI officials over Hunter Biden probe
Photo: Fox NewsU.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed the entire criminal case on Monday against two former FBI officials, Nicole "Nikki" Floris and Bradley Benavides, who were each charged with one count of lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden investigation. Ruling from the bench in U.S. District Court in Washington after an hour-long oral decision, Faruqui found no probable cause. He said prosecutors had not shown that their 2023 statements to the House Judiciary Committee were knowingly false, and he said the Justice Department's conduct could not be described as anything other than weaponization. The charges were filed last month by criminal complaint, without a grand jury indictment, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro had said they concerned the officials' roles on the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force and in the Hunter Biden probe. The department had also filed an unsworn, unsigned superseding complaint after midnight. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and a lawyer for Floris said the government never had a case.
Fox News and the Daily Mail, the right-leaning outlets, lead with the judge's rebuke and the "weaponization" quote, tying it to the Trump administration's Justice Department. Fox adds that Faruqui called it a rush job directed by President Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel. Fox also gives background on the laptop allegations and the criticism of the complaint route, and the Daily Mail quotes Pirro's earlier statement. CBS News and CNN, on the left, also center the dismissal and the lack of probable cause. CBS adds that the judge said the case erodes public confidence in the department, and it describes the late-night filing, the defendants embracing and crying outside court, and the presence of former Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll. Both sides agree on the core facts. The Hill and CNBC largely match this account, with CNBC relaying the judge's apology to government lawyers.
How the sides differ Right sources, led by Fox and the Daily Mail, stress the judge's 'weaponization' rebuke of the Trump DOJ and the case's background; left sources add courtroom detail and the missing probable cause.
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CNN and CBS lead with the dismissal and the lack of probable cause, with CBS adding the judge's hour-long, scathing ruling, the late-night filing and the defendants' emotional reaction outside court.
- CNBCJudge tosses DOJ case against ex-FBI officials accused of lying about Hunter Biden probe: Reports
The Hill and CNBC report the dismissal and the judge's 'weaponization' finding, with CNBC relaying courtroom remarks via MS NOW and a defense lawyer's criticism.
Fox News and the Daily Mail lead with the judge's 'weaponization' rebuke of the Trump DOJ, citing Pirro's earlier charging statement and, in Fox's case, the judge's reference to Trump and Patel.