Former FBI Informant to Plead Guilty to Lying About Bribery Scheme Involving Pres. Biden
In a remarkable turn of events, Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, has agreed to plead guilty to lying about a fabricated bribery scheme that implicated President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Those allegations, which had been at the center of a Republican-led impeachment inquiry in Congress, have unraveled under legal scrutiny.
Smirnov is scheduled to plead guilty in Los Angeles on Monday to lying to federal investigators and tax evasion. In court papers, Smirnov falsely claimed that executives for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid $5 million apiece to Joe and Hunter Biden sometime around 2015.
The Charges: A Fabricated Scheme
The explosive bribery allegations, first revealed in June 2020, purported to show corruption at the highest levels of U.S. government. But prosecutors now said Smirnov's claims were completely fabricated. The allegations, though entirely unsupported, played a central role in fueling Republican attempts to investigate President Biden and his family.
Court records show that Smirnov had only routine business dealings with Burisma, commencing in 2017, and he had no inside information about any bribery. An FBI field office investigated Smirnov's allegations and recommended the case be closed in August 2020 due to a lack of supporting evidence.
Prosecutors also pointed out that Smirnov expressed bias against the presidential candidature of Joe Biden, adding to the questionability of motive for the manufacture of these allegations.
In addition to the bogus bribery allegations, Smirnov is charged separately with tax evasion for failing to report millions of dollars in income. Under his plea agreement, prosecutors and Smirnov's defense have jointly recommended a four- to six-year prison sentence.
Smirnov has been in custody since his arrest in February 2024. His guilty plea likely closes a chapter on the controversy that gained national attention during the Republican push for an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Political Fallout
Smirnov's fabricated story had wide-ranging consequences. Lacking corroboration, it nonetheless became a rallying point for Republican efforts to investigate the Biden family. Smirnov's allegations were invoked as grounds for an impeachment inquiry into President Biden by the House, with Republicans calling on the FBI to release unredacted documents related to the allegations.
However, no evidence has emerged to suggest that Joe Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes during his time as vice president or in his current role as president.
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