Alexander Smirnov stands accused of fabricating claims that President Joe Biden engaged in a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme.
Prosecutors say the ex-FBI informant who claimed the Bidens engaged in a bribery scheme in Ukraine admitted upon his arrest that he received information concerning Hunter Biden from sources linked to Russian intelligence.
The revelation comes as Justice Department special counsel David Weiss argued on Feb. 20 that Alexander Smirnov was a flight risk and should be kept behind bars while awaiting trial.
Mr. Smirnov was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested on Feb. 14. He faces charges of making a “false statement” and creating a “false and fictitious” record over his allegations that President Joe Biden and his son each received $5 million from Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired.
“During his custodial interview on February 14, Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about Businessperson 1.”
The context of the filing makes clear that “Businessperson 1” is Hunter Biden.
Notably, prosecutors did not suggest that the initial bribery allegations came from Russian intelligence agents. However, they did state that at a September 2023 meeting with FBI investigators, Mr. Smirnov “pushed a new story” about President Biden and his son that he had reportedly learned from four different Russian officials.
Mr. Smirnov reportedly told investigators he had seen footage of the first son entering the Premier Palace Hotel in Kiev, which he said was “wired” and “under the control of the Russians.” He suggested that investigators look into whether Hunter Biden made phone calls from the hotel “since those calls would have been recorded by the Russians.”
Mr. Smirnov allegedly said the recordings had come up in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, with which he claimed to be involved.
“According to Smirnov, the Russians want Ukraine to assist in influencing the U.S. election, and Smirnov thinks the tapes of Businessperson 1 at the Premier Palace Hotel is all they have,” prosecutors wrote.
Investigators dismissed the claims as false because Hunter Biden “has never traveled to Ukraine.”
By Samantha Flom and Joseph Lord
