The former FBI informant who has been charged with falsely stating that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden accepted a bribe allegedly has ties to "high-level" Russian intelligence officials.
Alexander Smirnov was hit with felony charges last week, accused of making false statements and manufacturing false records concerning the Bidens' business dealings in Ukraine. A memo filed in court by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday argues that Smirnov should remain behind bars pending his trial due to "extensive foreign ties" that include contact with "Russian intelligence agencies."
The DOJ filing states that Smirnov recently met with someone he "described as a high-ranking member of a specific Russian foreign intelligence service" and had connections to multiple Russian officials and a person involved in "carrying out assassination efforts in a third-party country."
The Context
As a "confidential human source" in June 2020, Smirnov claimed executives at Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid the Bidens "$5 million each" in exchange for favors from Joe Biden during his term as vice president. The claim was at the heart of the impeachment inquiry that House Republicans launched against the president last year.
Special Counsel David Weiss, who is overseeing the Hunter Biden investigation, announced last week that Smirnov was facing felony charges for fabricating the bribery claim. Democrats quickly pounced on the revelation, arguing that it bolsters their claim that the impeachment inquiry is a politically motivated effort intended to derail Joe Biden's reelection campaign.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 2019 report found that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election "in sweeping and systematic fashion" with the goal of aiding former President Donald Trump, who is likely to once again be Biden's opponent in November.
What We Know
Tuesday's DOJ filing claims that Smirnov has had "contact with officials affiliated with Russian intelligence" that "are extensive and extremely recent," while he purportedly had planned to take part in additional meetings before being arrested.
During a recent meeting with the "high ranking" Russian intelligence official, read the filing, Smirnov also met with "the individual who controls groups that are engaged in overseas assassination efforts," who revealed at least one detail of a plan to interfere in this year's election.
According to the filing, Smirnov told the FBI handler that Russian intelligence was intercepting phone calls "placed by prominent U.S. persons" that could be used as "kompromat," or damaging information, ahead of the November election.
"Smirnov's efforts to spread misinformation about a candidate of one of the two major parties in the United States continues," the filing states. "The Court should consider this conduct as well when evaluating his personal history and characteristics."
"He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November," it continues. "In light of that fact there is a serious risk he will flee in order to avoid accountability for his actions."
Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House via email on Tuesday night.
Views
Mueller, She Wrote podcast creator Allison Gill mocked GOP Congressman James Comer, who is leading the Biden impeachment inquiry, for the revelations about his "star witness" in a series of Tuesday posts to X, formerly Twitter.
"This is all from David Weiss' filing for pretrial detention for Smirnov. What do you have to say about your star witness, @RepJamesComer?" she wrote. "BuT i WaS ToLd RuSsIa WaS a HoAx."
Ryan Goodman, former special counsel for the Department of Defense, said on X that Smirnov's alleged links to Russian intelligence had "implications for impeachment proceedings" and "implications for election integrity in 2024 presidential elections."
During a CNN appearance a short time later, Goodman said that the DOJ filing was "alerting us to an ongoing Russian misinformation campaign" and efforts to interfere in the election, calling it "Russia's playbook."
Comer has argued that the impeachment inquiry "is not reliant on" Smirnov's bribery claim. In a statement emailed to Newsweek last week, he complained that the FBI "did nothing to verify" Smirnov's claim until Republicans launched the impeachment inquiry, arguing that the bureau's "actions in this matter are very concerning."
What's Next
Smirnov, a 43-year-old dual Israeli-U.S. citizen, could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the lying charges. He was scheduled to attend a pretrial court hearing in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday, which had not concluded at the time of publication.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to all charges in two cases that accuse him of tax evasion and illegal gun possession. Both cases arose as part of Weiss' investigation. A trial for the tax charges is set to begin in June.
In a court filing on Tuesday, Biden's attorneys argued that Smirnov's allegedly manufactured bribery allegations had "infected" the case against the president's son and resulted in the collapse of a plea agreement last year.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
