In the United States, two former senior FBI officials have been charged with giving false testimony to Congress about their role in investigations linked to former US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, CNBC reports.
The charges concern Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, who held senior roles in the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force during the 2020 US presidential election.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Floris and Benavides allegedly gave false testimony to Congress about their role in FBI investigations involving Hunter Biden.
According to her, one of the former officials claimed they learned about the relevant circumstances only from Wikipedia. However, Pirro said the available evidence indicates the defendants were involved in shaping the public narrative around Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the presidential election.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the charges are linked to an investigation into the activities of the disbanded FBI Foreign Influence Task Force.
He said both officials worked in the task force and, during their testimony, stated that it had not taken part in investigations involving Hunter Biden. However, Patel said documents, contemporaneous correspondence and testimony from other individuals contradict their statements.
Nikki Floris’s lawyers called the charges groundless and accused President Donald Trump’s administration of political calculation.
In the defence’s view, the charges were brought years after the events described, on the eve of the US midterm congressional elections scheduled for 3 November. The lawyers believe the case is being used to advance a political narrative they described as false.
The defence also stressed that Floris worked as an FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years. Her lawyers said they intend to defend her position in court.
The Burisma Case
Hunter Biden was a member of Burisma’s board — a role that for years has drawn the attention of Republican lawmakers.
In conversations with the FBI, Smirnov falsely claimed that Burisma executives told him in 2015 or 2016, when Joe Biden was vice-president, that they had hired Hunter Biden in order to “protect themselves through his father from any problems”. Smirnov also fabricated claims that Joe and Hunter Biden each received $5 million in bribes from Burisma executives.
Smirnov’s lawyers sought a four-year prison sentence, arguing that Smirnov had admitted he was responsible. Republican lawmakers learned of FBI records documenting Smirnov’s statements, which briefly became the subject of attempts to impeach Joe Biden.
The special counsel also brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden on charges of tax evasion and firearms possession. In December, Joe Biden issued a full pardon for his son, “closing” both cases.