On Friday, the Trump DOJ charged two former senior FBI officials, Nikki Flores and Bradley Benavides, with lying to Congress about their roles in the Hunter Biden laptop matter. Flores is the official who once wrote that the FBI was “basically running a shadow government.” Tim argues this, along with the arrest of Virginia Democrat Louise Lucas, is the Trump administration ripping out the deep state, and that it will have to go much further to stop the plan to force Trump into invoking the Insurrection Act.
0:00 Trump DOJ Charges Two FBI Officials
4:14 The Hunter Biden Laptop Charges
8:24 DOJ: “Bring the Hammer of Justice Down”
9:20 Going After Deep State HQ
13:25 The Plan to Force the Insurrection Act
Title: Trump DOJ Arrests Two Senior Ex-FBI Officials for Lying About Hunter Biden Laptop Cover-Up
Whatfinger News
The arrests of two former top FBI officials tied to the Hunter Biden laptop are now on the books. Nikki Cole Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered Friday, October 23, 2026, on federal charges of lying to Congress about the Foreign Influence Task Force’s role in the 2020 election investigations.
Floris, 46, of Alexandria, Virginia, led the now-dissolved FITF as Deputy Assistant Director from mid-2019 through mid-2022. Benavides, 56, of Aiken, South Carolina, served as FITF Section Chief from mid-2019 through the 2020 election. Both face one count each under 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) for false statements in a legislative matter. Case number 26mj185 in D.C. federal court.
The core allegations from the DOJ complaint and statements:
- In 2023 House Judiciary Committee interviews, both testified that the FITF was not involved in the FBI’s Hunter Biden investigations. Documentary evidence, contemporaneous communications, and witness accounts contradict them.
- Floris told the committee she was involved in no discussions about Hunter Biden while at the FITF. Prosecutors say she discussed the investigations routinely for more than a year, both inside the task force and with other FBI personnel.
- Benavides claimed he only learned the FBI possessed the laptop by reading a Wikipedia article in 2023. Evidence shows he regularly discussed the laptop with FBI officials in the run-up to the 2020 election.
- The FITF was stood up to counter foreign influence on the 2020 election. It was dissolved after Trump returned to office. The charges stem from an ongoing probe into that unit.
🚨 They tracked a TEENAGER to time the raid. His name was Barron Trump.
Declassified files show Biden’s FBI logged Melania and Barron Trump’s travel — aircraft and timeline — so agents could hit Mar-a-Lago when the family was gone.
Codename: Plasmic Echo. Garland and Wray signed off.
Then Jack Smith’s team put a pen register on Susie Wiles’ phone for months. Every call logged. 21 Trump lawyers.Campaign aides. Journalists. Even Trump’s own number.
Not a leak. White House docs.Released yesterday.
This is what a weaponized DOJ looks like. Jack Smith should be in a jail cell tonight.
#JackSmith #PlasmicEcho #BarronTrump #WeaponizedDOJ #MarALago #BidenFBI #SusieWiles— GRANDPA’s FREE ADVICE (@GOP_is_Gutless) October 6, 2026
FBI Director Kash Patel stated the pair “were taken into custody today” and noted that “Floris is also on record privately claiming to be ‘running a shadow government’ during the 2020 election in her role on the FITF.” Patel added that lying to Congress by senior FBI officials “strikes at the heart of our system” and that “no one is above the law.” He referenced the prior dismantling of the corrupt CR-15 squad.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said, “when senior FBI agents lie to Congress believing they are above the law, it’s time to bring the hammer of justice down on them.” Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that “public servants, including federal law enforcement officials, cannot lie to Congress and get away with it.”
💥💥 @FBI had (26) agents who infiltrated the J6ers and may be responsible for some of the crimes the J6ers went to prison for
Do you want @FBIDirectorKash Patel to give the DOJ the names of those FBI agents for prosecution
This cannot go unpunished https://t.co/ZymDstt0hL
— Life lessons !!!!🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲 (@PatriotMike15) October 23, 2026
The “shadow government” line comes from declassified 2020 FBI messages. On or around September 25, 2020, as the bureau recalled an Intelligence Information Report alleging China was producing fraudulent driver’s licenses for a mail-in ballot scheme, Floris wrote to colleagues: “I’m basically running a shadow government across the FBI at this point.” Trump referenced the remark in a July 2026 address without naming her at the time.
Tim Pool has framed these arrests, alongside the recent charging of Virginia Democrat Louise Lucas on marijuana trafficking, money laundering, and related counts, as the start of pulling out deep-state elements. Lucas, a longtime state Senate leader who pushed redistricting, was indicted with family members in a case alleging a multi-year scheme involving her cannabis business. Pool has said more action will be required to blunt efforts aimed at forcing an Insurrection Act invocation.
Defense lawyers have called the charges political timing ahead of the midterms and described Floris as a long-serving intelligence officer. The complaint itself notes the statements were allegedly made to conceal FITF engagement and impede the congressional inquiry. Charges remain allegations; both are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
For context on the 2020 election interference claims and related probes, see the Whatfinger News election hub at https://dedicatedissues.com/election/.
The pattern is the same one that delayed the laptop story until after the election: senior officials shaping what Congress and the public were allowed to know. Accountability for the people who ran those lanes is now moving through the system.
— The Whatfinger News Team: Luke and Lisa with Grok on edits
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