Rushed, politically driven probe faulted as judge dismisses DOJ case against FBI agents who investigated Hunter Biden

Judge cites political concerns

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed the complaint Monday, saying the investigation that led to the charges was rushed and overtly political. He described it as “weaponization,” according to his remarks from the bench.

Faruqui said the investigation began the day after President Donald Trump gave a primetime speech revisiting his 2020 election loss. He also noted that FBI Director Kash Patel had ordered the investigation and closely monitored it.

Questions over how charges proceeded

The judge had questioned why prosecutors used a criminal complaint, a method more commonly used when authorities need to take a defendant into custody, rather than seeking an indictment from a grand jury. At a preliminary hearing last week, Faruqui also criticized prosecutors for filing an amended complaint overnight with an additional charge without first getting court approval. He said he had never seen that approach before. During the hearing, an FBI agent who worked on the case testified that he worried the investigation would be viewed as political.

Dispute tied to laptop investigation

The complaint accused Floris and Benavides of misleading Congress in 2023 about their roles and knowledge in efforts to investigate a laptop attributed to Hunter Biden. The Justice Department says the laptop was left at a Delaware computer repair shop in 2019.

The case also reflected longstanding claims by Trump and Republican allies that the FBI sought to suppress information potentially damaging to the Biden family during the 2020 presidential campaign. Joe Biden, then the Democratic candidate, defeated Trump, the Republican incumbent.