FBI Informant Charged With Fabricating False Allegations Against President Biden & Son Hunter In Major Blow To House Impeachment Effort

FBI informant Alexander Smirnov has been indicted on charges of concoction of a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme that involved President Joe Biden, Biden’s son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company.

The claims made by Smirnov have played a central role in the Republican-led impeachment inquiry against Biden.

Court documents say Smirnov, 43, falsely reported to the FBI in June 2020 that executives linked to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid Hunter and Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016. Smirnov alleged that an executive had hired Hunter to leverage his father’s influence in order to avoid potential complications. However, prosecutors assert that Smirnov’s interactions with the company were routine business dealings in 2017, and he only made the bribery allegations after he expressed bias against Biden in his presidential candidacy.

After a brief appearance in Las Vegas court, Smirnov was charged with making false statements and creating a fictitious record. He did not enter a plea, and a closed hearing was requested by federal public defender Margaret Wightman Lambrose to discuss the sealing of court documents.

The informant’s claims have been instrumental in the Republican campaign to investigate President Biden and his family and ultimately led to the current House impeachment inquiry. In response to the charges against Smirnov, an attorney representing Hunter emphasized that the probe is based on unfounded and unreliable allegations and witnesses.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), the leading Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, called for an end to the Biden impeachment inquiry and dismissed the Republican accusations as a collection of falsehoods rooted in conspiracy theories. Raskin urged Speaker Mike Johnson, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Republicans to abandon their fruitless impeachment efforts.

While Comer downplayed the significance of the informant’s allegations and stated that the impeachment inquiry is not reliant on Smirnov’s testimony, he reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to follow the facts and determine whether to proceed with articles of impeachment against Biden. Comer emphasized that the inquiry is supported by substantial evidence, such as bank records and witness testimonies gathered throughout the investigation.

The indictment highlights that Smirnov’s interactions with Burisma executives took place in 2017 after President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Biden had left office, which rendered any potential influence from Biden improbable. It further alleges that Smirnov transformed routine business contacts with Burisma into bribery allegations against “Public Official 1,” the presumptive nominee of a major political party for President, due to his personal feelings.

Prosecutors also revealed that Smirnov modified his narrative in interviews with FBI agents in September 2023, offered false claims and promoted a new fabricated narrative after he claimed to have met with Russian officials.

If convicted, Smirnov faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years. The charges were filed by Justice Department Special Counsel David Weiss, who has separately charged Hunter with firearm and tax violations.

Hunter is scheduled to testify before the committee later this month. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, maintained that the investigation has been fueled by falsehoods propagated by individuals with political agendas rather than factual evidence. Lowell expressed satisfaction with the revelation that the allegations against Hunter have been debunked.

A detention hearing for Smirnov has been set for February 20, after his arrest at the Las Vegas airport upon arrival in the United States from overseas.