Judge Strikes Unsigned Obstruction Complaint Against Ex-FBI Officials

A federal magistrate judge struck an unsigned Justice Department complaint adding obstruction charges against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, ruling Tuesday that prosecutors had not followed standard procedures for filing the allegations. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ordered the superseding complaint removed from the record after prosecutors filed it shortly after midnight. The filing added obstruction and attempted obstruction of a congressional proceeding to the case, but had not been signed by a law enforcement officer or judge. Faruqui said it had not undergone judicial review to determine whether there was probable cause. Prosecutor John Borchert acknowledged in court that he had not encountered a criminal complaint filed that way. He suggested it could be signed during the hearing, but Faruqui declined. The judge said prosecutors could seek new charges through standard procedures. The earlier complaint remains in place. It accuses Floris and Benavides of making false statements to Congress about their knowledge of FBI task-force activity related to Hunter Biden. The two former officials have not been convicted, and the allegations remain...