Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant, recently indicted for lying to the agency by making up corruption charges against Joe Biden and his son Hunter, admitted that he was assisted by Russian secret agents in his attempt to harm the president of the United States and his son. This revelation emerged from a Justice Department memo regarding his detention, which reveals that Smirnov confessed “to having had extensive and extremely recent contact with Russian intelligence officials.”
THE DOCUMENT
ACT ACCUSING A. SMIRNOV.pdf
Alexander Smirnov, 43, was arrested on February 14 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas upon his return from a trip abroad. The man was considered a key witness in the impeachment investigation launched by Republicans in the House of Representatives into the alleged involvement of the president and his son in foreign affairs controversies, in particular their ties to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. The former whistleblower was indicted for lying about Joe and Hunter Biden's involvement with Burisma, claiming that the former was vice president and the latter served on the company's board of directors, with a salary of $50,000 a month.
As stated in the indictment, the specific charges include “making false statements and presenting false evidence in connection with an investigation by the FBI”, an agency for which Smirnov has long worked as an informant. The document alleges that in 2020 Smirnov deliberately lied about two meetings in 2015 or 2016, during which Burisma executives said he had hired Hunter Biden to “protect the company, through his father, from any problems.” Alexander Smirnov also falsely claimed that Burisma executives paid five million dollars each to Joe and Hunter Biden during the former's tenure as vice president in order to obtain favors.
It should be remembered that these allegations have been the subject of investigations and controversies, with notable implications for American politics and the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. Smirnov's arrest represents a blow to accusations made by Republicans that Biden favored his son's interests abroad for personal financial benefit. Furthermore, the new revelations fuel new suspicions about possible Russian interference to favor Trump in the next elections, despite Vladimir Putin recently declaring his “preference” for Joe Biden due to his greater predictability. Prosecutors also alleged that Smirnov “has access to $6 million in liquid funds,” which he had not previously disclosed while he told judges that he only had $1,500 in cash on hand and $5,000 in a checking account. personal. Prosecutors also noted that Smirnov has dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship. Although Smirnov volunteered to surrender his Israeli passport, prosecutors say he could obtain a new passport at any time at an Israeli consulate.
Investigators say Smirnov deliberately targeted the American president by actively spreading lies that could influence elections in the United States. Smirnov's lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, argued that the FBI had known about their client's alleged conduct for years, “yet took no action to terminate his cooperation, seize his passports, or prosecute him for anything.” » a fact that casts many shadows on the FBI. Smirnov's claims were central to the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family and helped trigger what is now a House impeachment inquiry into Biden. Democrats called for an end to the investigation after the indictment was handed down last week, while Republicans distanced the probe from Smirnov's claims and said they would continue “to follow the facts” and would face a maximum sentence if convicted 25 years in prison. Unless he escapes first: he has been released on bail. Another perplexing fact.
