A federal magistrate judge in Washington dismissed the Justice Department's criminal complaint against two former FBI officials on 2 November.^[1] The two are Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides.^[2] They had been accused of misleading Congress about what they knew of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden.^[3] The ruling US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ruled that prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence for the case.^[4] He found that the government had failed to show probable cause that the two lied to Congress about the laptop.^[5] The complaint alleged that they lied in testimony to the House Judiciary Committee in 2023.^[6] A prosecutor on the case acknowledged that the criminal complaint was flawed.^[7] The judge scolded prosecutors for unorthodox moves in the case.^[8] He said the investigation was rushed and political and contained critical mistakes.^[9] The investigation The investigation into the two officials began in July 2025 under FBI Director Kash Patel.^[10] Patel mandated the investigation and monitored it closely, the Associated Press reported.^[11] It opened hours after a speech by Donald Trump on election security.^[12] An FBI case agent testified that he feared the investigation would be seen as political.^[13] Where the case stands Floris and Benavides are no longer charged under the complaint.^[14] Neither has been indicted, and neither has been convicted. The ruling does not bar a new case. The Justice Department may still seek a grand jury indictment against the two.^[15] Al Jazeera reported the same option remains open to prosecutors.^[16] Attorneys for Benavides called the accusations against him political theater.^[17] The reports in this set carry no comment from the Justice Department on the ruling. For the prosecution, the ruling is a setback at the first stage of a criminal case. A complaint must show probable cause, and the judge found this one did not.^[5]