On Wednesday, the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a federal judge to reverse a recent order that released Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, from custody. Smirnov is currently under charges for allegedly lying about Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, concerning their ties to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
The DOJ’s actions underscore a deeper narrative that questions the integrity of the information feeding into the impeachment efforts against President Biden. Smirnov, who had previously been a critical witness in the House Republicans’ case, is accused of fabricating statements, claiming that both Bidens received $5 million bribes from Burisma’s head around 2015. This development gives Democrats a relatively easy approach to deflect attention away from the substantive and credible allegations of the Biden family’s corrupt foreign business affairs.
Judge asked to reverse order freeing former FBI source who allegedly lied about Bidens https://t.co/3fCiXBABOS pic.twitter.com/CdoVBmtm62
— The Hill (@thehill) February 21, 2024
Federal prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright that the nature and circumstances of Smirnov’s offense, coupled with the evidence’s weight and his weak community ties, necessitate his detention. This plea from the DOJ follows concerns that Smirnov, also an Israeli citizen, might flee the United States. He had plans to meet with “multiple foreign intelligence agencies” and allegedly received information from Russian intelligence. Moreover, the DOJ accuses Smirnov of concealing his financial assets, citing over $6 million in liquid funds that could enable him to live comfortably overseas, far from the reach of U.S. law enforcement.
Despite these developments, top Republicans like House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) remain undeterred. They assert that the impeachment inquiry does not solely hinge on Smirnov’s claims.
We can clear this up for you.
1) We never knew the informant's name
2) We never talked to the informant
3) The FBI never gave us his name and redacted the FD-1023 because they said he was so important to an ongoing investigation
4) The FBI told the committee, including… https://t.co/sG7BDVG1Mi
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) February 22, 2024
In a Thursday morning post to X, formerly Twitter, the official account of the House Oversight Committee responded to Democrat grandstanding about Smirnov’s arrest. The committee pointed out that it never knew Smirnov’s name or spoke with him. Moreover, the FBI redacted the informant’s name from documents provided to the committee even as the agency assured the entire committee, including the Democrat members, that “the informant was highly credible.”
The post concludes: “No one is falling for this Russia Hoax 2.0 you’re peddling.”
