DailyDrop.

PBS NewsHour reported that two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference were charged Friday with making false statements about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden's laptop before the 2020 presidential election. CBS News reported that each faces one count of lying to Congress. The Hill named them as Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, who worked in the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force in 2019 and 2020, and reported that both were taken into custody Friday. NBC News reported that the pair have been frequent targets of criticism from allies of President Trump over their 2020 election intelligence work. CNBC reported that attorneys for one of them called the charges "nonsense charges" filed just before the midterm election. NPR reported that Republicans have long accused the FBI of mishandling the laptop and the Hunter Biden investigations.

NPR notes Republicans have long accused the FBI of mishandling it. A false-statements charge converts that dispute into a criminal case with a docket, filings and hearings. CNBC reports the defense is already framing the timing, with the midterms eleven days away, as political.

If you follow election news, expect both parties to cite the case: supporters of the prosecution will point to the lying-to-Congress counts, and critics will point to the timing. The practical step is to read the charging document and the officials' first court appearance before drawing a conclusion about what was actually said.

Supporters of the prosecution point to the allegation itself. As reported by NPR, Republicans have long said the FBI mishandled the laptop and the related investigations, and the charges that the officials lied to Congress fit that account. On this view, false statements to lawmakers are a serious crime whatever the politics.

The defense and critics point to the timing and the targets. CNBC reports that one official's attorneys called the counts "nonsense charges" brought just before the midterms, and NBC News notes the two had already been frequent targets of Trump allies. On this view, the case follows from political criticism rather than new evidence.

Confirmed across several outlets: two former FBI officials were charged Friday over statements about the laptop investigation, and CBS reports one count each of lying to Congress. Confirmed by only one outlet so far: the names, from The Hill. Not yet confirmed: what exactly they are accused of saying and when they appear in court. Watch for the charging document and the first hearing.

CBS News (one count each, 10/23) · PBS NewsHour (roles in the investigation, 10/23) · The Hill (names and custody, 10/23) · CNBC (defense response, 10/23) · NBC News (criticism by Trump allies, 10/23) · NPR (Republican accusations, 10/23)