--- title: "Two Ex-FBI Officials Face New Charges in Hunter Biden Probe" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/two-ex-fbi-officials-face-new-charges-in-hunter-biden-probe" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/two-ex-fbi-officials-face-new-charges-in-hunter-biden-probe" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/two-ex-fbi-officials-face-new-charges-in-hunter-biden-probe.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/two-ex-fbi-officials-face-new-charges-in-hunter-biden-probe" category: "Politics" published: "2026-10-27T15:46:33.611Z" source_reported: "2026-10-27T15:19:50.000Z" updated: "2026-10-27T15:46:33.611Z" trust_score: 48 critic_score: 57 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-27T15:45:15.603764+00:00" --- # Two Ex-FBI Officials Face New Charges in Hunter Biden Probe *Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides accused of obstruction and lying to Congress.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 48 of 100, higher is better. The central claim is attributed to the DOJ, and two independent outlets are cited. - Craft 57 of 100, higher is better. The digests provide a basic account, but lack depth and direct quotes from affected parties. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use loaded language like 'outrageous' and 'escalates scrutiny' without full reporting context. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Two former FBI officials, Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, are facing new charges from the Department of Justice. - The charges include obstruction of justice, in addition to earlier accusations of lying to Congress. - The new charges were filed just before a scheduled court hearing, prompting defense lawyers to call the action "outrageous government conduct." - The case involves investigations into Hunter Biden and his laptop, and testimony provided to Congress in 2023. Former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides are facing additional charges from the Department of Justice. The DOJ has added counts of obstruction of justice to the existing charges that they allegedly lied to Congress. These new charges were filed shortly before a court hearing in the case. ## Disagreement on timing of new charges BizToc and CBS News report that the new charges were filed just hours before a court hearing. Raw Story states that prosecutors filed a revised FBI affidavit at 12:22 a.m. Tuesday, ahead of a hearing. The other reports do not specify the exact timing of the new charges relative to the hearing. ## What the coverage left out None of the left, centre, or right-rated digests mention the specific names of the defense lawyers who called the new charges "outrageous government conduct." ## Who covered it Shares of the 10 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (5) - Centre: 40% (4) - Right: 10% (1) 1 of 11 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-27T15:45:15.603764+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-27T16:15:23.702Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports led with the new charges against the former FBI officials. CNBC, Raw Story, Associated Press News, abc News, and lawcommentary.com all highlighted the additional charges, with CNBC and Raw Story specifically mentioning the defense's criticism of the DOJ's actions. Raw Story also noted that the U.S. Attorney's office walked back claims hours before the court showdown. Lawcommentary.com stated that prosecutors allege Floris and Benavides denied involvement in matters that FBI emails, internal records, and witness accounts show they were involved in. ### Centre - Centre-rated reports focused on the new charges and the upcoming court appearance. CBS News, Internewscast, Newsweek, and KSAT 12 all reported on the DOJ filing new charges, including obstruction of justice. CBS News and Internewscast noted that the charges were filed just hours before a preliminary hearing. Newsweek and KSAT 12 stated that the officials were due back in court. ### Right - The right-rated report from The Western Journal led with the DOJ adding obstruction counts to the charges against the two former FBI agents. It stated that the agents are accused of lying about their knowledge of Hunter Biden's laptop computer. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 1 - high: 4 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [CNBC](https://cnbc.com/2026/10/27/fbi-hunter-biden-congress-charges-doj.html) — Ex-FBI official's lawyers slam unusual new criminal charge: 'Outrageous government conduct' - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/f19a568e374a9e13) — Ex-FBI official's lawyers slam unusual new criminal charge: 'Outrageous government conduct' - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/jeanine-pirro-hunter-biden-fbi) — Scrambling Pirro team walks back Hunter Biden claims hours before court showdown - [CBS News](https://cbsnews.com/news/hunter-biden-investigation-more-charges-filed-against-ex-fbi-officials) — DOJ files new charges accusing ex-FBI officials of obstructing, lying to Congress over roles in Hunter Biden probe - [The Western Journal](https://westernjournal.com/doj-adds-obstruction-counts-2-former-fbi-agents-charged-allegedly-lying-hunter-biden-laptop) — DOJ Adds Obstruction Counts for 2 Former FBI Agents Charged with Allegedly Lying About Hunter Biden Laptop - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/us/doj-escalates-scrutiny-of-ex-fbi-officials-over-2020-hunter-biden-cover-up) — DOJ Escalates Scrutiny of Ex-FBI Officials Over 2020 Hunter Biden Cover-Up - [Newsweek](https://newsweek.com/former-fbi-officials-face-court-hunter-biden-laptop-investigation-12622481) — Former FBI officials face court over Hunter Biden laptop investigation - [KSAT 12](https://ksat.com/2026/10/27/ex-fbi-officials-charged-in-the-case-about-hunter-bidens-laptop-are-due-back-in-court) — Ex-FBI officials charged in the case about Hunter Biden's laptop are due back in court - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/fbi-justice-department-hunter-biden-3388f7250b8ad5c0a441da4206fdb629) — Ex-FBI officials charged in the case about Hunter Biden's laptop are due back in court - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/fbi-officials-charged-case-hunter-bidens-laptop-due-137593775) — Ex-FBI officials due back in court in Hunter Biden laptop case - [lawcommentary.com](https://lawcommentary.com/articles/former-fbi-officials-charged-lying-congress-hunter-biden-laptop) — Two Former FBI Officials Charged With Lying to Congress About Hunter Biden's Laptop ## Questions **What are the new charges against the former FBI officials?** The Department of Justice has added charges of obstruction of justice to the existing accusations that Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides lied to Congress. These new charges were filed shortly before a court hearing. **Who are Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides?** Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides are two former FBI officials. They are accused of lying to Congress about their involvement in investigations concerning Hunter Biden and his laptop. **What has been the reaction to the new charges?** The defense lawyers for the former FBI officials have criticized the new charges. They described the action as unusual and "outrageous government conduct," particularly because the charges were filed just before a court hearing. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/two-ex-fbi-officials-face-new-charges-in-hunter-biden-probe. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Two Ex-FBI Officials Face New Charges in Hunter Biden Probe", https://mediabias.news/politics/two-ex-fbi-officials-face-new-charges-in-hunter-biden-probe