U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team acknowledged screwup in case against former FBI officials

Key Points:

• A top aide to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro admitted in a phone call that prosecutors made a significant error in a criminal case against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, who were charged with making false statements to Congress about Hunter Biden’s laptop investigation.
• Special Agent Ryan Witt testified that an affidavit cited a congressional staffer as present for both officials’ testimonies, but the staffer was only present for Benavides’, and prosecutors have been unable to identify anyone who witnessed Floris’ testimony.
• Prosecutors filed a superseding complaint and new affidavit, neither signed by law enforcement or a judge, which was subsequently dismissed by Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui.
• The case has drawn scrutiny due to political pressure, with FBI officials including Director Kash Patel and deputy directors closely monitoring the investigation, raising concerns about the impact of politics on sensitive FBI inquiries.
• Defense attorneys characterized the prosecution as politically motivated and criticized the use of affidavits containing inaccuracies, with a judicial ruling on the matter expected Monday.