Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens linked to Russian intelligence: Prosecutors

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, whom special counsel David Weiss has charged for allegedly lying about a bribery scheme involving the Biden family, has reportedly been in frequent contact with Russian intelligence, the Department of Justice claimed Tuesday.

Smirnov was arrested Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Weiss has claimed that Smirnov provided false information to the FBI, including claims that a Burisma executive paid $5 million to two members of the Biden family as part of a bid to shut down a probe into the firm. Those allegations were recorded in a 2020 FD-1023 form documenting confidential human source material. 

Tuesday court proceedings saw the prosecutors argue against Smirnov's release pending trial on the basis of his alleged contact with Russian intelligence and the prospect that he might flee the country. Prosecutors specifically claimed that he repeatedly met with an individual whom they described as the "son of a former high-ranking government official" and "someone with ties to a particular Russian intelligence service," according to the Associated Press.

The DOJ further claimed that he admitted in an interview that "officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story" about Hunter Biden, according to NPR. Said contacts with Russian intelligence, they argued, could aid Smirnov in a potential flight. Smirnov's attorneys deny he is a flight risk.

While the allegations Smirnov made against the Bidens have featured prominently in congressional investigations, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has insisted that they do not form the crux of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

"To be clear, the impeachment inquiry is not reliant on the FBI’s FD-1023. It is based on a large record of evidence, including bank records and witness testimony, revealing that Joe Biden knew of and participated in his family’s business dealings," he said last week.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.