ter that had been seized by the FBI in December 2019.

Yet internal FBI messages and emails produced in the affidavit show that she was discussing coverage of Hunter Biden and his laptop frequently in the lead-up to the 2020 election as part of an alleged Russian disinformation effort.

8 A tweet from Attorney General Jeanine Pirro on the two former FBI officials being charged. X/usattypirro

Both Floris and Benavides even  assisted with the FBI's response to press inquiries  in the days after The Post's bombshell Oct. 14, 2020, story on Hunter Biden's laptop emails.

 I can see from the perspective of anyone consuming this story that they could be concerned this is a Russia disinformation effort similar to what the FBI, ODNI, and other agencies have warned against; however, the FBI has not made that determination in this specific instance and as I stated before, I won't comment on investigations or investigative actions,  wrote Benavides in an Oct. 16 email that year on an email chain that included Floris.

 Nikki, thoughts???  Benavides also asked, to which Floris responded:  Looks good! 

8 An undated image from Hunter Biden's laptop. Obtained by NY Post

Asked whether he had any knowledge during his tenure at the FBI of an investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop, Benavides stunningly told House Judiciary panel members in a Sept. 28, 2023, interview:  No. 

Benavides also testified:  I would not have discussed anything about the laptop within the government. If I knew that the FBI had possession of it, that would have been outside of FITF. 

The ex-G man's testimony was also undercut by a current FBI employee who shared in an October 2026 interview with federal investigators that both Benavides and Floris were part of a working group known as  Round River  that  focused in large part on the Hunter Biden investigations and the potential for Russian disinformation. 

8 Hunter Biden appears in an image from his laptop. Obtained by NY Post

 These are the most senior figures to date who are being charged in the lawfare schemes against Trump, aside from James Comey,  Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told The Post.

DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro and FBI Director Kash Patel announced their arrest and subsequent charges on Friday.

 Floris and Benavides allegedly lied to Congress about their roles in the FBI's Hunter Biden investigations, with one claiming they only learned about it from Wikipedia - despite evidence showing their involvement in helping shape the public narrative about Hunter Biden's laptop right before the election,  Pirro said.

8 Hunter Biden seen with a crack pipe in his mouth in a photo from his laptop. Obtained by NY Post

 Floris led the FITF as a Deputy Assistant Director from mid-2019 through mid-2022. Benavides was the FITF Section Chief from mid-2019 through the 2020 election,  added Patel.

 Both testified that the FITF was not involved in the Hunter Biden investigations. Documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications, and witness accounts contradict their testimony,  the FBI boss said.

 Floris is also on record privately claiming to be  running a shadow government' during the 2020 election in her role on the FITF,  he noted.

A source familiar with the charges said that they stemmed from transcribed interviews the ex-FBI officials gave to the House Judiciary Committee in July and September 2023.

Reps for the pair couldn't immediately be reached for comment.