Judge strikes Justice Department's overnight charges against two former FBI officials

"It is inappropriate. It harms the defendants," Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said, according to AP. A prosecutor told the court the overnight filing was a first for him as well, CBS News reported. A preliminary hearing on the original false-statement charge was set to continue Wednesday.

The original complaint accuses the two, who led the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, of making false statements to Congress in 2023 by minimizing what they knew about Hunter Biden's laptop. Both deny wrongdoing.

Why it matters: The ruling is a rare public rebuke of how the Justice Department brought charges in a politically sensitive case.