Ex-FBI officials charged in the case about Hunter Biden’s laptop are due back in court

WASHINGTON (AP) – Two former FBI authorities charged with lying to Congress concerning their participation in investigations involving Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, are due back in court Tuesday in a case their lawyers have described as baseless and politically motivated.

What happened

In practice, the prosecution of Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, confirmed Friday, is the latest in a series of splashy and politically charged investigative actions the Justice Department has undertaken in the run-up to next week's midterm elections.

For context, the case accuses the former authorities of falsely playing down their knowledge concerning a laptop the Justice Department notes Hunter Biden abandoned at a computer repair shop in 2019. But beyond that, it represents a Trump administration broadside against a since-disbanded FBI task force that was set up to monitor foreign influence. Congressional Republicans have long criticized the task force, saying it tried to discredit their own investigations into the Biden family.

The bottom line

In short, ex-FBI officials charged in the case about Hunter Bidens laptop are due is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.