An FBI informant has been charged with falsely reporting a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and Ukrainian energy company Burisma. The charges were filed by Special Counsel David Weiss, who is leading the investigation against Hunter Biden, charging him with firearm and tax violations.
According to the indictment, Alexander Smirnov, 43, lied to the FBI in 2020 when he said Burisma paid both Bidens $5 million. Prosecutors said Smirnov “expressed bias” against Joe Biden, who was running for president then. Smirnov’s claims have been central to House Republicans’ efforts to impeach the president over his family business dealings.
“In short, the Defendant transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against Public Official 1, the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against Public Official 1 and his candidacy,” the indictment said.
Congressman Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for an end to the impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the Republican chair of the committee, said the inquiry will continue, claiming it’s based on “a large record of evidence.”
Smirnov faces charges of making a false statement and falsification of records. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.