WASHINGTON — A former FBI informant is scheduled to plead guilty on Monday to charges related to a fabricated bribery scheme implicating President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, a matter that has significantly influenced the ongoing Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.
Alexander Smirnov is anticipated to enter the plea in Los Angeles to a felony charge connected to the false allegations, as well as a tax evasion charge linked to another indictment alleging he concealed millions of dollars in income, as outlined in court documents.
Smirnov has been in custody since his arrest in February for allegedly reporting to his FBI handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy firm, Burisma, had paid both President Biden and Hunter Biden $5 million each around 2015.
Prosecutors and Smirnov’s defense have reached a consensus to recommend a prison sentence of four to six years, as per the plea agreement.
Having served as an informant for over a decade, Smirnov made the controversial claims about the Bidens in June 2020, reportedly after expressing his discontent with Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy, as noted by prosecutors.
However, court filings indicate that Smirnov only had standard business dealings with Burisma beginning in 2017, and an FBI investigation into his allegations concluded in August 2020, with recommendations to close the case.
To date, no evidence has surfaced indicating that Joe Biden engaged in corrupt actions or accepted bribes during his tenure as vice president or in his current role.
Although Smirnov’s identity was not publicly recognized prior to the indictment, his accusations played a pivotal role in fueling Republican investigations into the president and his family, sparking a House impeachment inquiry against Biden. Before Smirnov’s arrest, Republicans had pressured the FBI to release an unredacted document detailing the unverified claims, while acknowledging they could not verify their accuracy.
In a September 2023 discussion with investigators, Smirnov alleged the possibility of Russian recordings of Hunter Biden, suggesting a hotel in Ukraine’s capital where he stayed was “wired” and under Russian control—information he claimed was relayed to him by several high-ranking Russian officials.
Contrarily, the indictment against Smirnov clearly states that Hunter Biden had never traveled to Ukraine.
Smirnov also alleged connections with officials linked to Russian intelligence, asserting that individuals associated with this intelligence apparatus were involved in disseminating a narrative regarding Hunter Biden.
The case against Smirnov was spearheaded by special counsel David Weiss, who had previously prosecuted Hunter Biden for gun and tax offenses. Hunter Biden was scheduled for sentencing this month after his convictions but received a pardon from his father earlier, who asserted that “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
