House Republicans Downplay Importance of FBI Informant Charged with Fabricating Bribery Allegations Against President Biden
In a surprising turn of events, House Republicans leading the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden have attempted to downplay the significance of an FBI informant who has been charged with fabricating foreign bribery allegations against the president and his son. The informant, Alexander Smirnov, was recently charged with lying to the FBI and creating false records.
The allegations made by Smirnov, which were central to the Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into Biden, have now been fully discredited. These claims were memorialized in an internal FBI memo that Republicans fought for months to obtain and eventually made public in July. However, with the charges against Smirnov, Republicans are now struggling to maintain the credibility of their investigation.
Despite the charges, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan maintains that “nothing has changed” and continues to believe that Smirnov’s claims are the most corroborating evidence they have. Similarly, House Oversight Chair James Comer insists that his work is “not reliant” on the debunked allegations and points to a large record of evidence. However, when Republicans were fighting to publicize the document containing Smirnov’s claims, Comer referred to it as a crucial piece of their investigation.
House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, who is leading the inquiry alongside Jordan and Comer, previously called the allegations a “smoking gun.” However, with the informant now facing charges of fabricating information, the broader Republican narrative about Biden’s alleged corruption as vice president has suffered a blow.
This latest setback comes as House Republicans struggle to gain momentum in their efforts to impeach President Biden. A growing number of Republicans have expressed doubt that their investigation will lead to impeachment, citing insufficient evidence. The Republicans’ razor-thin majority has further complicated their efforts, with approximately 20 House Republicans reportedly unwilling to vote for impeachment.
President Biden has responded to the charges against the informant by calling him a liar and urging Republicans to end their impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, top Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin has called on House Republicans to stop promoting what he refers to as “nonsense” and to abandon their doomed impeachment inquiry.
Despite the criticism and the recent indictment, Republicans leading the inquiry maintain that they have a substantial amount of evidence, including witness testimony and bank records, to support their investigation. The House Judiciary Committee recently released the transcript of their interview with former US Attorney Scott Brady, who testified that he found some of the material provided by Smirnov credible enough to pass along to the prosecutor leading the Hunter Biden criminal probe.
Republicans have seized on the fact that Smirnov was initially presented as a credible witness, raising concerns about the FBI’s actions in the matter. The FBI has used Smirnov in various criminal investigations since 2010, and during closed-door briefings with lawmakers, the agency deemed him credible. However, lawmakers have questioned the credibility of the rest of the evidence produced by the investigation, with some suggesting that it does not amount to a smoking gun or specific law-breaking by the president.
Looking forward, top Republicans are focusing on upcoming depositions with Hunter Biden and the president’s brother, James, as the next key step in their probe. They do not expect to make an official decision on whether to pursue impeachment articles until those depositions are complete.
Overall, the charges against the FBI informant have dealt a blow to House Republicans’ efforts to impeach President Biden. With doubts emerging about the credibility of their investigation and a lack of sufficient evidence, it remains to be seen whether they will be successful in their pursuit of impeachment.
