FBI informant charged with lying about president, Hunter Biden

The Department of Justice on Thursday said it was charging Alexander Smirnov with two counts of making false statements and making a false record of substantiating those statements. The indictment against him does not explicitly name President Joe Biden or his son Hunter Biden. Instead, it refers to a “Public Official 1” and a “Businessperson 1, Public Official 1’s son.” The DOJ alleges that Smirnov, the informant, lied to the FBI in reports about dealings of Ukrainian industrial company Burisma Holdings with “Businessperson 1” and “Public Official 1.”

So what does this have to do with President Joe Biden and his son? House Republicans have alleged that President Joe Biden profited illegally from his family members’ businesses, including Burisma. They also argue the president has participated in an “influence peddling” scheme that allowed his son Hunter to get on the board of Burisma Holdings. Hunter Biden has denied wrongdoing. President Biden has called the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into him a “baseless stunt.”

Dig deeper: Read Joseph Backholm’s column in WORLD Opinions about how the Justice Department has admitted to lying about the Hunter Biden laptop from years ago.