Former FBI informant to plead guilty to lying about Bidens

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov agreed to plead guilty on Thursday to one count of lying to federal officials and three counts of evading taxes, according to court documents. The U.S. Department of Justice earlier this year indicted Smirnov for allegedly lying about a connection between President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and the Ukrainian industrial company Burisma Holdings.

What does this mean? Republicans accused President Joe Biden of having improper connections to his family’s business dealings, including Hunter Biden’s alleged dealings with Burisma. The plea deal, if true, means that Smirnov’s false claims helped feed Republicans’ allegations.

Does this mean Republicans were wrong? Even before Smirnov retracted his statements, the Biden administration persistently denied that the president did anything wrong. But President Joe Biden earlier this month did pardon his son Hunter for all criminal offenses he may have committed over the past decade. House Republicans accused the Biden administration of obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of what happened with the Bidens, Burisma, and other matters.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how Biden claimed to set the record for presidential pardons in a single day.