Allegations probably fabricated
Hunter Biden case: Ex-FBI informant arrested
A twist in the Hunter Biden case? The US judiciary announced on Thursday that a former informant of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been arrested and charged for allegedly fabricating the corruption allegations against Hunter Biden. The man is now facing a long prison sentence.
Alexander Smirnov was arrested at an airport in Las Vegas on his return from abroad, according to the special prosecutor's office responsible for the investigation into Hunter Biden. The 43-year-old former informant had lied when he accused Democratic US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter of taking five million dollars (4.65 million euros) each in bribes to protect the Ukrainian gas company Burisma from prosecution.
Smirnov faces up to 25 years in prison for the allegations. His accusations against Joe and Hunter Biden are completely fabricated, according to the statement of claim.
Setback for Republicans
The new twist in the case undermines the Republicans' efforts to initiate impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden for his son's alleged misconduct. Smirnov's allegations had previously played a central role in the accusations against the US president and his son.
The Republicans accuse Hunter Biden of having abused his father's important position as President Barack Obama's deputy at the time for business deals in Ukraine and China in the past. The conservatives are ultimately aiming their attacks at President Biden, whom they accuse of having been involved in his son's controversial foreign business dealings and benefiting financially from them.
No evidence and false timing
So far, the Republicans have failed to provide any evidence for their accusations against the President, which even conservative politicians admit. The Democrats accuse the Republicans of a political maneuver to damage the incumbent ahead of the presidential election in November - and to take revenge for the two impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump.
The statement of claim against Smirnov states that his allegations are not plausible in terms of timing. Smirnov had testified to the FBI in 2020 that he had had a meeting with Burisma executives "in 2015 and/or 2016 during the Obama/Biden administration". They had confided in him that they had protected their company "from any problems" with the US justice system with the help of Hunter Biden and his father and had paid them both five million dollars each.
Contact only under President Trump
However, the investigation revealed that Smirnov only came into contact with Burisma in 2017, when Biden's Republican successor Trump was already in power. At that time, Biden was no longer able to influence US policy, the indictment emphasizes. It also emphasizes that Smirnov waited until 2020 to make his accusations, when Biden emerged as Trump's challenger in the presidential election.
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