A former FBI informant charged with making up a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company had contacts with Russian intelligence-affiliated officials, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Quick Read
- Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, is charged with fabricating a bribery story involving President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, claiming they received $5 million each around 2015.
- Prosecutors allege Smirnov had contacts with officials linked to Russian intelligence and shared the story about Hunter Biden through these connections.
- Despite the serious allegations, U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts allowed Smirnov to be released on electronic GPS monitoring pending his trial.
- Smirnov, who has dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, reportedly admitted his Russian intelligence contacts were involved in circulating the story, and he had plans to meet one such official soon.
- The White House has not commented on these developments.
- Smirnov’s allegations, made in June 2020, were based on his claimed interactions with Burisma starting in 2017, despite his alleged bias against Joe Biden during the presidential campaign.
- He faces charges of making a false statement and creating a false record, with the case filed in Los Angeles where he lived before moving to Las Vegas.
- The claims have significantly influenced Republican-led congressional investigations into the Biden family, sparking a House impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
- Following the indictment, Democrats have called for an end to the Biden family probe, while Republicans intend to continue their investigations, distancing themselves from Smirnov’s claims.
The Associated Press has the story:
Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens had Russian intel contacts
Newslooks- LAS VEGAS (AP) —
A former FBI informant charged with making up a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company had contacts with Russian intelligence-affiliated officials, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Prosecutors revealed the alleged contact as they urged a judge in Las Vegas to keep Alexander Smirnov behind bars while he awaits trial. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts allowed Smirnov to be released from custody on electronic GPS monitoring.
He is accused of falsely telling his FBI handler that executives with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each around 2015 — a claim that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.
Smirnov, 43, hid his face and did not speak to reporters Tuesday night when he walked out of the courthouse with his lawyers and girlfriend at his side. He wore a GPS monitor on his left ankle and had changed into street clothes and out of the yellow jail garb he had worn in court.
Defense attorney David Chesnoff said he looks forward to defending Smirnov at trial.
According to prosecutors, Smirnov admitted in an interview after his arrest last week that “officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story” about Hunter Biden. They said Smirnov’s contacts with Russian officials were recent and extensive, and said Smirnov had planned to meet with one official during an upcoming overseas trip.
The White House didn’t immediately comment Tuesday.
Prosecutors said Smirnov, who holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, falsely reported to the FBI in June 2020 that executives associated with Burisma paid millions of dollars to Hunter and Joe Biden in 2015 or 2016.
But Smirnov had only routine business dealings with the company starting in 2017 and made the bribery allegations after he “expressed bias” against Joe Biden while he was a presidential candidate, according to prosecutors.
He is charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record. The charges were filed in Los Angeles, where he lived for 16 years before relocating to Las Vegas two years ago.
Smirnov’s claims have played a major part in the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, and helped spark what is now a House impeachment inquiry into Biden. Democrats called for an end to the probe after the Smirnov indictment came down last week, while Republicans distanced the inquiry from his claims and said they would continue to “follow the facts.”
Hunter Biden is expected to give a deposition next week.
The Burisma allegations became a flashpoint in Congress as Republicans pursuing investigations of President Biden and his family demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the allegations. They acknowledged they couldn’t confirm if the allegations were true.
