Crime & JusticeBreaking
Two former FBI officials charged with false statements to Congress over Hunter Biden probe
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 9 outlets across the spectrum.
10 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
The Justice Department has charged two former FBI officials with making false statements to the House Judiciary Committee during its investigation of the bureau’s Hunter Biden probes, according to a charging affidavit described by Just the News. CBS News reports each faces one count. The New York Post and Fox News report the charges say the officials understated their roles in the investigations. Lawyers for one of the officials called the charges “nonsense,” and CNBC reports the case was filed just before the midterm elections.
Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works
What happened
Key points
Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.
Two former FBI officials have been charged with making false statements to Congress about the bureau’s Hunter Biden investigations.
Reported byLeft4Center1Right2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- CBS News, ABC News, The Independent, NBC News
- Center
- CNBC
- Right
- New York Post, Daily Mail
- Far Right
- Just the News, Fox News
Each official faces one count, according to CBS News.
One outletCBS News· Left
The charging affidavit says the officials made “materially false statements” to the House Judiciary Committee during its investigation.
One outletJust the News· Far Right
The charges say the officials understated their involvement in the Hunter Biden investigations.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Right
- New York Post
- Far Right
- Fox News
Lawyers for one of the officials called the charges “nonsense.”
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- The Independent
- Center
- CNBC
The charges were filed shortly before the midterm elections.
Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- The Independent
- Center
- CNBC
- Right
- Daily Mail
What is contested
Where accounts differ
Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.
The two former FBI officials made false statements to Congress about their roles in the Hunter Biden investigations.
The Justice Department and the charging affidavit, as reported by Just the News, Fox News and CNBC, allege the false statements. Lawyers for one official call the charges “nonsense.”
How each side tells it
Compare views
All sides report that two former FBI officials face charges of lying to Congress over the Hunter Biden laptop probe. The main difference is emphasis: left and center stress lawyers’ rejection of the charges, while right-side outlets stress alleged cover-up and midterm timing.
the left
4 outlets
Left headlines lead with the charges and the Trump administration’s Justice Department, or with criticism from Trump allies of the officials’ work, as in NBC’s headline; the Independent frames the case as the administration’s accusations.
DOJ charges former top FBI officials who were frequent targets of Trump allies
NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
1 outlet
The one center outlet, CNBC, attributes the charges to the DOJ and uses “allegedly” in its headline, leaving the defense attorneys’ criticism to the text.
Two ex-FBI officials charged with allegedly lying about Hunter Biden probe: DOJ
CNBCCenterAll center headlines the right
5 outlets
Right headlines stress an alleged cover-up or public anger and midterm timing; the Far Right outlets, Just the News and Fox, stick closer to the charges and testimony scrutiny.
FBI officials who Loaded verb“covered up”Asserts a concealment that the charges themselves do not establish; the charge is lying to Congress about involvement.More neutral: involved in the investigations intoDisagree with this highlight? Hunter Biden laptop charged for lying to Congress
New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines
The words they chose
Language to notice
Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.
Left1
withering criticism
Center1
slammed
Right5
troubled first soncovered upcomes under scrutinyFury
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded modifier
troubled first sonMore neutral: Hunter Biden
Describes Hunter Biden with a label that judges him before the facts are weighed.
…into Hunter Biden — despite “helping shape the public narrative” around the troubled first son’s laptop, according to federal authorities.
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Loaded verb
covered upMore neutral: involved in the investigations into
Asserts a concealment that the charges themselves do not establish; the charge is lying to Congress about involvement.
FBI officials who covered up Hunter Biden laptop charged for lying to Congress
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
withering criticismMore neutral: criticism
Adds drama to the criticism; the reported fact is that officials were criticized by allies of Trump.
Two former FBI officials who have come under withering criticism from allies of President Donald Trump over their intelligence work during the…
Used byNBC News (Left)
Vague attribution
comes under scrutinyMore neutral: as the Justice Department alleges they lied
Does not say who is scrutinizing the testimony.
Ex-FBI officials arrested in Hunter Biden laptop probe as testimony comes under scrutiny
Used byFox News (Far Right)
Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer
Sensational language
FuryMore neutral: Former FBI officials face criminal case
Fury presents the reaction as dramatic emotion, adding drama that the facts of the charges do not carry.
Fury as ex-FBI officials are hit with criminal case in Hunter Biden laptop saga on eve of…
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded verb
hit withMore neutral: charged in
hit with frames the charges as an attack on the officials rather than a neutral court filing.
Fury as ex-FBI officials are hit with criminal case in Hunter Biden laptop saga on eve of midterms
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded verb
slammedMore neutral: criticized
slammed describes the defense’s response more forcefully than a plain denial of the allegations.
Attorneys for one of the ex-FBI officials slammed the Trump administration for filing the "nonsense charges" just before the midterm…
Used byCNBC (Center)
See for yourself
Side by side
What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.
From the left
4 outletsLeads with
- Trump administration’s Justice Department
- criticism from Trump allies
- officials’ 2020 election intelligence work
- charges of lying to Congress
Leaves out
- Allegation that the officials covered up the laptop story
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
- NBC NewsLeft
DOJ charges former top FBI officials who were frequent targets of Trump allies
Two former FBI officials who have come under Sensational language“withering criticism”Adds drama to the criticism; the reported fact is that officials were criticized by allies of Trump.More neutral: criticismDisagree with this highlight? from allies of President Donald Trump over their intelligence work during the 2020 presidential election have been charged with allegedly lying to Congress.
- The IndependentLeft
Trump DOJ charges ex-FBI officials who briefed Congress on Hunter Biden laptop and election interference
Donald Trump’s administration has accused two former FBI officials of lying to Congress about the bureau’s involvement with investigations into Hunter Biden, accusations that lawyers are calling “nonsense.”
2 ex-FBI officials charged with making false statements about Hunter Biden's laptop
Two ex-FBI officials have been charged with making false statements about Hunter Biden's laptop
- CBS NewsLeft
2 ex-FBI officials charged with lying about Hunter Biden's laptop
Two former FBI agents have each been charged with one count of lying to Congress about Hunter Biden's laptop.
From the center
1 outletLeads with
- Justice Department as the source of the charges
- allegedly lying about the probe
- defense attorneys’ criticism
- filing just before the midterms
Leaves out
- Allegation that the officials covered up the laptop story
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
- CNBCCenter
Two ex-FBI officials charged with allegedly lying about Hunter Biden probe: DOJ
Attorneys for one of the ex-FBI officials Loaded verb“slammed”slammed describes the defense’s response more forcefully than a plain denial of the allegations.More neutral: criticizedDisagree with this highlight? the Trump administration for filing the "nonsense charges" just before the midterm election.
From the right
5 outletsLeads with
- officials covered up the laptop
- lying to Congress
- public anger and midterm timing
- testimony under scrutiny
Leaves out
- Lawyers’ rejection of the charges as “nonsense”
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 5 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- Daily MailRight
Sensational language“Fury”Fury presents the reaction as dramatic emotion, adding drama that the facts of the charges do not carry.More neutral: Former FBI officials face criminal caseDisagree with this highlight? as ex-FBI officials are Loaded verb“hit with”hit with frames the charges as an attack on the officials rather than a neutral court filing.More neutral: charged inDisagree with this highlight? criminal case in Hunter Biden laptop saga on eve of midterms
The former senior FBI officials were charged with lying to Congress about their involvement in the FBI's investigations into Hunter Biden.
- Fox NewsFar Right
Ex-FBI officials arrested in Hunter Biden laptop probe as testimony Vague attribution“comes under scrutiny”Does not say who is scrutinizing the testimony.More neutral: as the Justice Department alleges they liedDisagree with this highlight?
Two former FBI officials face charges for allegedly lying to Congress about their roles in investigating Hunter Biden's laptop and foreign ties.
- New York PostRight
FBI officials who Loaded verb“covered up”Asserts a concealment that the charges themselves do not establish; the charge is lying to Congress about involvement.More neutral: involved in the investigations intoDisagree with this highlight? Hunter Biden laptop charged for lying to Congress
Two ex-FBI officials were charged Friday for lying to Congress that they had little involvement in investigations into Hunter Biden.
- The Daily WireFar Right
Former FBI Officials Charged With Lying About Hunter Biden Case
Two former FBI officials were charged Friday after investigators said they lied about their ties to the bureau’s probe into Hunter Biden. The Justice Department said 46-year-old Nikki Cole Floris of Alexandria, Virginia, and 56-year-old Bradley Benavides of Aiken, South …
- Just the NewsFar Right
Two ex-FBI officials charged with making false statements about Hunter Biden's laptop
According to the affidavit, Floris and Benavides made "materially false statements" to the House Judiciary Committee during a congressional investigation into the Foreign Influence Task Force's involvement in the FBI's various investigations into Hunter Biden.
Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?
The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.
Who reported it when
How the coverage built up
Left
4 hr 15 min later
Its first report, Oct 23, 10:45 AM EDT
Center
4 hr 57 min later
Its first report, Oct 23, 11:27 AM EDT
Right
First to report
The Daily Wire, Oct 23, 6:30 AM EDT
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- The Daily WireFar RightOct 23, 6:30 AM EDT
- CBS NewsLeftOct 23, 10:45 AM EDT
- ABC NewsLeftOct 23, 10:49 AM EDT
- The IndependentLeftOct 23, 10:56 AM EDT
- New York PostRightOct 23, 10:58 AM EDT
- NBC NewsLeftOct 23, 11:02 AM EDT
- Fox NewsFar RightOct 23, 11:04 AM EDT
- Daily MailRightOct 23, 11:23 AM EDT
- CNBCCenterOct 23, 11:27 AM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.
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