House Republicans are pressing the FBI for information about one of its informants, who was central to their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden until he was indicted by the Justice Department on charges of making false statements.
In a letter sent to the FBI on Friday, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) pressed the agency to provide documents detailing Alexander Smirnov’s tenure as an informant over the last 14 years. The top Republicans claimed the request was necessary to understand “the FBI’s handling of Mr. Smirnov” and the information he provided.
The chairmen accused the FBI of being motivated by politics, arguing the agency only began to scrutinize Smirnov’s credibility after he became central to the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into Biden.
“Only after Mr. Smirnov reported that President Joe Biden accepted a bribe from a Ukrainian energy company in exchange for using his official position to oust the Ukrainian Prosecutor General did the FBI apparently take a hard look at this [confidential human source],” the chairmen wrote. “The Judiciary Committee has been examining the FBI’s CHS program in the wake of recent high-profile blunders, but this new information raises even greater concerns about abuse and mismanagement in the FBI’s CHS program.”
The revelation that Smirnov’s statements were false prompted immediate backlash from Democrats and Biden allies who accused Republicans of opening an impeachment inquiry solely based on claims that have now been revealed as false. However, Republicans have pushed back on that argument, noting they were assured by the FBI that the confidential source was “highly credible.”
Jordan and Comer reiterated that argument in their letter, seeking to shift blame to the FBI by noting, “Congress has relied on the FBI’s word that this CHS was highly credible, while not ever receiving his name.”
As part of their request, the two Republicans are giving the FBI until March 15 to hand over information on any criminal cases that relied on information from Smirnov, documentation on how much Smirnov was paid for his cooperation, details on how he was validated as a credible source, and records that sparked concerns within the FBI to investigate Smirnov for inaccurate reporting.
The FBI has previously brushed off accusations that it is at fault for Republicans trusting Smirnov’s claims in the FD-1023, which contained explosive allegations against Joe and Hunter Biden. An FD-1023 is an investigative form the FBI uses to record information from confidential human sources, often referenced as a CHS by investigators. The FBI pointed to its previous statements that even when the bureau documents information on FD-1023s, that does not “validate it” or “establish its credibility,” according to a statement released last year.
Smirnov’s claims first came into the public eye last May after Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced the existence of an FD-1023 form showing “an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.”
The 2020 FD-1023 form contained explosive allegations that Joe and Hunter Biden accepted $5 million each in bribes so that the then-vice president would use his authority to protect the Ukrainian energy company in which his son held a lucrative board position. The source was not identified, but Republicans were told the informant was highly credible and had been relied on for several DOJ investigations in the past.
The inquiry is looking into three main things, all of which relate to Hunter Biden: whether Joe Biden improperly used his position of power to enrich himself and his family, whether he used his influence to pressure the Department of Justice to help his son avoid criminal charges, and how involved he was in his family’s foreign business dealings.
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The House Oversight and Judiciary committees have failed to uncover definitive evidence tying Joe Biden to criminal activity or any misconduct that constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor. Instead, Democrats and their staffers have accused Republicans of wasting money and resources on an investigation they say is politically motivated.
When reached for comment, FBI officials said in a statement the bureau had “received the letter. We don’t have any further comment.”
