A former FBI informant whose fabricated bribery allegations against President Joe Biden and his son Hunter fueled Republican impeachment efforts is due for sentencing Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court.
Prosecutors are seeking a six-year prison term after Alexander Smirnov pleaded guilty to tax evasion and lying to the FBI. The allegations, proven false, claimed the Bidens each received $5 million from executives at Ukrainian energy company Burisma in exchange for political favors.
Smirnov, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, worked as an FBI informant for over a decade, providing intelligence on various cases, including Russian organized crime. His lies were intended to influence the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, according to prosecutors.
In 2020, amid the U.S. presidential election, Smirnov falsely told his FBI handler that Burisma officials had bribed then-Vice President Biden and his son Hunter. Investigators later determined that Smirnov's only dealings with Burisma occurred in 2017, well after Biden's vice presidency.
The claims reverberated through political circles, gaining prominence when House Republicans demanded the FBI release documents summarizing Smirnov's allegations. Congressional Republicans used the unverified claims to support their impeachment inquiry into President Biden. The FBI repeatedly cautioned lawmakers that information from confidential sources like Smirnov was "unverified and, by definition,...
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