Prosecutors say the ex-FBI informant who claimed the Bidens engaged in a bribery scheme in Ukraine admitted upon his arrest that he received information concerning Hunter Biden from sources linked to Russian intelligence.
The revelation comes as Justice Department special counsel David Weiss argued on Feb. 20 that Alexander Smirnov was a flight risk and should be kept behind bars while awaiting trial.
Mr. Smirnov was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested on Feb. 14. He faces charges of making a “false statement” and creating a “false and fictitious” record over his allegations that President Joe Biden and his son each received $5 million from Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired.
“During his custodial interview on February 14, Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about Businessperson 1.”
The context of the filing makes clear that “Businessperson 1” is Hunter Biden.
Notably, prosecutors did not suggest that the initial bribery allegations came from Russian intelligence agents. However, they did state that at a September 2023 meeting with FBI investigators, Mr. Smirnov “pushed a new story” about President Biden and his son that he had reportedly learned from four different Russian officials.
Mr. Smirnov reportedly told investigators he had seen footage of the first son entering the Premier Palace Hotel in Kiev, which he said was “wired” and “under the control of the Russians.” He suggested that investigators look into whether Hunter Biden made phone calls from the hotel “since those calls would have been recorded by the Russians.”
Mr. Smirnov allegedly said the recordings had come up in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, with which he claimed to be involved.
“According to Smirnov, the Russians want Ukraine to assist in influencing the U.S. election, and Smirnov thinks the tapes of Businessperson 1 at the Premier Palace Hotel is all they have,” prosecutors wrote.
Investigators dismissed the claims as false because Hunter Biden “has never traveled to Ukraine.”
Mr. Smirnov was ultimately released from jail on the orders of U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts. The conditions of his release included that he wear a GPS monitor, surrender his passports, and remain in Clark County, Nevada, where he is also to seek employment.
“Pretrial supervision is, at its core, based on trust. … The circumstances of the offenses charged—that Smirnov lied to his FBI Handler after a 10-year relationship where the two spoke nearly every day—means that Smirnov cannot be trusted to provide truthful information to Pretrial Services,” they argued.
Impeachment Impacts
Mr. Smirnov’s June 2020 FBI informant report detailing the Biden bribery allegations is at the center of House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into the president.As such, Democrats have responded to the news of Mr. Smirnov’s Russian connections as evidence that the entire probe is baseless.
“The impeachment investigation essentially ended yesterday, in substance,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told The Epoch Times.
“It appears like the whole thing is not only obviously false and fraudulent but a product of Russian disinformation and propaganda. And that’s been the motor force behind this investigation for more than a year.”
His comments followed James Biden’s earlier testimony before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees that his brother, the president, “has never had any involvement” in his business ventures.
And Mr. Raskin, referencing that testimony, said committee members had yet to hear anything to the contrary.
“We obviously, again, have heard nothing indicating that Joe Biden had anything to do with the business ventures of Hunter Biden, or James Biden, and nothing has contradicted that basic understanding that we’ve had for many, many months now. So, that’s essentially where we are.”
He then called on Republican leadership to “fold up the tent to this circus show. It’s really over at this point.”
Republican investigators have downplayed Mr. Smirnov’s indictment, holding that whatever the outcome, their case against the president remains strong.
They have also challenged the Justice Department’s case against the former informant, charging that investigators have “a lot of explaining to do.”
“The American people deserve answers.”
