Smirnov, 43, is described in charging documents as a former FBI source who gave FBI agents false information about a prominent politician and his son in 2020. The descriptions of the two people match those of Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and people familiar with the matter said these are the two people Mr. Smirnov lied about. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident.
In 2017, Smirnov reportedly told FBI agents that he had a phone call with the owner of the Ukrainian company Burisma during which the topic of “the son of civil servant 1 is a member of Burisma's board of directors'' was raised. ing. The fact that Hunter Biden served on the company's board was publicly known at the time.
In 2020, the indictment alleges:, Mr. Smirnov submitted new allegations to the agency, including that he was aware of conversations in 2015 or 2016 between Burisma executives in which he said he hired his son “to protect us from all kinds of problems through his father.” did. The indictment alleges that Mr. Smirnov's claims were false.
Comer and other Republicans spent months arguing that the FBI informant's claims were proof that Hunter Biden and, by extension, was his father. involved in corrupt transactions, and the FBI did not pursue those allegations.
Thursday's indictment implicitly alleges that some of the most sensational accusations Republicans tried to bring against the president and his son were based on lies.
According to the indictment, Smirnov “changed his routine and non-routine business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later expressed bias against Civil Servant 1, then became a member of one of the president's two major political parties. This has led to allegations of bribery against a public servant who is considered to be a candidate,'' and his candidacy. ”
Authorities allege that Mr. Smirnov repeatedly expressed his dislike for Joe Biden in conversations with an FBI agent, at one point texting the agent that Biden was “going to jail.” .
In a written statement, Comer stood by his role in the Smirnov case and said “the FBI's actions in this matter are deeply concerning.” Mr. Comer also criticized the FBI for not being more forthcoming about what it knew about Mr. Smirnov's allegations, but said that agents working on sensitive criminal and national security investigations have not been able to communicate with elected officials. Informant testimony is rarely shared.
Hunter Biden's attorney, Abby Rowell, said the indictment shows “Republicans built a conspiracy about Hunter and his family based not on facts but on lies told by people with political agendas.” said. We were right, and their balloon let the air out. ”
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the oversight committee, said the charges against Smirnov show that Republican efforts to impeach the president are “based on lies.” He called on House Republicans to halt the investigation.
The Washington Post reported last spring that FBI documents containing the informant's claims were reviewed by the FBI under then-Attorney General William P. Barr, found to be unsupported by facts, and subsequently withdrawn. . When Comer's team requested to see the documents, FBI officials warned that widespread disclosure of the information could jeopardize the safety of confidential sources.
For a variety of reasons, the FBI rarely falsely charges one of its informants. First, the department is trying to encourage people with important information to come forward, sometimes at great risk to themselves, but arresting some of the people who do so means others will come forward with information. This may deter people from becoming individuals. Second, many investigators tend to view informants as frequently mistaken or dishonest, and do not think it is worth trying to build a criminal case out of those deficiencies.
But in Smirnov's case, Republicans have turned his claim into a kind of vindication, alleging that he provided critical information to the investigation into Hunter Biden and the president. FBI officials were repeatedly forced to answer questions from politicians about Smirnov's claims and faced accusations from conservatives that the agency itself was corrupt.
When investigators questioned Smirnov again in 2023, he claimed to have met with Russian officials, then repeated previous false claims and changed other parts of his story, U.S. authorities said. It is said that he suggested a new falsehood.
Smirnov was arrested Wednesday at the Las Vegas airport as he entered the United States from abroad, the Justice Department said.
Weiss, who prosecuted Smirnov, is the U.S. attorney for Delaware and was appointed to the position during the Trump administration. His investigation into Hunter Biden also began during the Trump administration.
Last year, Weiss asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint him special prosecutor, formally giving him more independence in charging decisions. He then Hunter Biden was indicted in Delaware several years ago for lying on a gun purchase form. Weiss also indicted Hunter Biden on multiple tax crimes in federal court in Los Angeles.
Hunter Biden's double indictment, filed after a plea deal collapsed last year, means he could be next. He will end up going to trial later this year. — Potentially twice — for his father to run for a second term as president.
