Current:Home > FinanceHouse Republicans demand info from FBI about Alexander Smirnov, informant charged with lying about Bidens-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
House Republicans demand info from FBI about Alexander Smirnov, informant charged with lying about Bidens
View Date:2024-12-23 10:26:22
Washington — House Republicans on Friday demanded information from the FBI about a confidential source now charged with lying about purported bribes paid to President Biden and his son, an allegation that GOP lawmakers used as one justification for opening an impeachment inquiry into the president.
Alexander Smirnov, 43, served as a confidential FBI source for 14 years before he was charged and arrested last month for allegedly lying to federal investigators in 2020. Prosecutors said he fabricated a claim that an executive at a Ukrainian energy company told him in 2015 or 2016 that the firm paid the Bidens bribes of $5 million each.
An FBI document memorializing his claims became the subject of a bitter back-and-forth between congressional Republicans and the FBI last summer. The bureau resisted GOP lawmakers' calls to hand over the document, known as an FD-1023, saying that doing so could compromise a valuable source. The FBI eventually allowed some lawmakers to review the record, and Republicans trumpeted the bribery allegations as evidence of wrongdoing by the president. The GOP-led House voted to formalize an impeachment inquiry against Mr. Biden in December.
In February, a federal grand jury in California indicted Smirnov on two counts of making a false statement and creating a fictitious record, referring to the FD-1023. Prosecutors said Smirnov did not meet the Ukrainian energy executive until 2017, the year after he said the executive told him about the supposed bribes. The federal charges stemmed from the investigation into Hunter Biden led by special counsel David Weiss. Smirnov is being held behind bars pending trial and has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
In a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray on Friday, Republicans Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer, the respective chairs of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, said the charges against Smirnov raise "even greater concerns about abuse and mismanagement in the FBI's [confidential human source] program." Jordan and Comer's committees are leading House Republicans' impeachment probe.
"Although the FBI and Justice Department received Mr. Smirnov's information in 2020, it was only after the FD-1023 was publicly released nearly three years later — implicating President Biden and his family — that the FBI apparently decided to conduct any review of Mr. Smirnov's credibility as a CHS," the lawmakers wrote. "During the intervening period, the FBI represented to Congress that the CHS was 'highly credible' and that the release of his information would endanger Americans."
Comer and Jordan said the reversal "is just another example of how the FBI is motivated by politics."
The GOP chairmen demanded that Wray hand over documents about any criminal cases that relied upon information Smirnov provided his handlers, details about how much he was paid over 14 years of being an FBI informant and several other categories of information. They gave Wray a deadline of March 15 to produce the documents.
The FBI confirmed it received the letter but declined to comment further.
The White House has repeatedly denied wrongdoing by the president, saying he was not involved in his son Hunter's business dealings. House Democrats have said the charges against Smirnov severely undermine Republicans' impeachment push.
"I think the Smirnov revelations destroy the entire case," Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said on Feb. 21. "Smirnov was the foundation of the whole thing. He was the one who came forward to say that Burisma had given Joe Biden $5 million, and that was just concocted in thin air."
Hunter Biden testified before lawmakers behind closed doors earlier this week, telling them that he "did not involve my father in my business."
"You have trafficked in innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism — all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence staring you in the face," he said in his opening statement. "You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn't any."
Andres Triay contributed reporting.
veryGood! (545)
Related
- Infowars auction could determine whether Alex Jones is kicked off its platforms
- Creative Arts Emmy Awards see Angela Bassett's first win, Pat Sajak honored
- Cars talking to one another could help reduce fatal crashes on US roads
- Why #MomTok’s Taylor Frankie Paul Says She and Dakota Mortensen Will Never Be the Perfect Couple
- The Stanley x LoveShackFancy Collaboration That Sold Out in Minutes Is Back for Part 2—Don’t Miss Out!
- Charles Barkley keeps $1 million promise to New Orleans school after 2 students' feat
- As US colleges raise the stakes for protests, activists are weighing new strategies
- Which NFL teams have new head coaches? Meet the 8 coaches making debuts in 2024.
- 'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
- A suspect is arrested after a police-involved shooting in Santa Fe cancels a parade
Ranking
- DWTS’ Sasha Farber and Jenn Tran Prove They're Closer Than Ever Amid Romance Rumors
- Grand Canyon’s main water line has broken dozens of times. Why is it getting a major fix only now?
- Nicole Kidman Announces Death of Her Mom Janelle After Leaving Venice Film Festival
- This climate change fix could save the world — or doom it
- Halle Berry surprises crowd in iconic 2002 Elie Saab gown from her historic Oscar win
- Students are sweating through class without air conditioning. Districts are facing the heat.
- Amy Adams 'freaked out' her dog co-stars in 'Nightbitch' by acting too odd
- Sky's Angel Reese sidelined with season-ending wrist injury
Recommendation
-
Stop What You're Doing—Moo Deng Just Dropped Her First Single
-
YouTuber Nikocado Avocado Debuts 250-Lb. Weight Loss Transformation
-
Creative Arts Emmy Awards see Angela Bassett's first win, Pat Sajak honored
-
Man charged in glass bottle attack on Jewish students in Pittsburgh now accused in earlier attack
-
Kid Rock tells fellow Trump supporters 'most of our left-leaning friends are good people'
-
Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner begin play in the US Open men’s final
-
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott becomes highest-paid player in NFL history with new contract
-
Tom Brady's NFL broadcasting career is finally starting. What should fans expect?