GOP mocked as FBI source charged with giving false info on Bidens which Republicans used in POTUS inquiry

WASHINGTON, DC: A confidential FBI source has been charged for providing false information to the bureau on President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign, reported ABC News.

Special counsel David Weiss has indicted Alexander Smirnov, aged 43, on two charges: making false statements and creating a false and fictitious record in connection with statements.

The Republican lawmakers have frequently used Smirnov as "a highly credible FBI source" to claim Biden was corrupt as they move forward with the impeachment inquiry into the President.

According to the charging documents released on Thursday, February 15, Smirnov was a confidential human source with the FBI and allegedly provided "false, derogatory information about [President Biden] and [Hunter Biden] ... in 2020, after [Biden] became a presidential candidate."

The source allegedly misinformed the Bureau that Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company on which the Hunter was a board member, hired the First Son because he would "protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems".

Also, he allegedly told the FBI that executives paid $5 million each to the First Son and the President while the latter was serving as the Vice President.

David Weiss alleges Alexander Smirnov of fabrication

According to Smirnov, his claims against the Bidens were obtained from two meetings with the Burisma executives in 2015 or 2016. However, in the new indictment, Weiss alleges the source fabricated both meetings.

Instead, he contacted the executives in 2017 after the end of Biden's vice presidency and the firing of the Ukrainian prosecutor general.

"The indictment alleges that the [Smirnov] transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against [President Biden] after expressing bias against [Biden] and his presidential candidacy," the special counsel's office said in the statement.

Smirnov was arrested at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, after his arrival in the US from overseas on Wednesday, February 14. If convicted, he will face a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment.

Republican claims against Biden gets undermined

The bribery claims were the ace card of House Republicans against Biden as they pushed forward the impeachment inquiry.

While speaking to reporters in December 2023, House Judiciary Committee Chairmen Jim Jordan asserted that Burisma was the "key thing" among the impeachable offenses. However, the latest FBI indictment against Smirnov contradicts the GOP allegations.

However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the charges against the confidential source do not undermine the GOP impeachment inquiry into the President. Comer stated, "to be clear, the impeachment inquiry is not reliant on the FBI's FD-1023 [that included Smirnov's allegation]."

Furthermore, the GOP-led probe "is based on a large record of evidence, including bank records and witness testimony, revealing that Joe Biden knew of and participated in his family's business dealings", Comer said.

Internet reacts to FBI source providing false information

Social media users slammed and mocked the Republican Party for relying on false information from the FBI source to advance the impeachment inquiry against Biden.

Calling out the GOP for "lying," social media users assured the party should be "embarrassed".

One user said, "The GOP should be highly embarrassed."

Another user remarked, "Unfortunately Republicans won't care ... Because Republicans don't care about reality, the country or anybody in it."

"Everyone has been describing the GOP show, not sure but it has something to do with clown shit," a third response read.

A fourth user added, "There goes your case @HouseGOP."

"Another false claim by GOP leaders. Give them one thing, they are great at misleading & lying!" another user wrote.

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