A step-by-step guide to how one debunked story fueled Republicans’ Biden impeachment effort

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The basic gist of the story is this: A shadowy ex-FBI informant with ties to Russia has been arrested and charged with giving false information to the FBI, but not before the alleged lies were used by Republicans to publicly accuse President Joe Biden of bribery.

When you look at the facts now, it seems ridiculous and incredible – a single, unverified FBI interview blows up into public allegations against the president of the United States and fuels plans for his impeachment.

But it has taken months of incremental developments to arrive at this point, and there are many unanswered questions in the developing saga of Alexander Smirnov, the accused peddler of misinformation. Smirnov has been charged with lying to the FBI and creating false records, but he has not yet entered a plea. His lawyers say he’s “presumed innocent” and will rigorously fight the charges.

Here’s what we actually do know at this point:

Alexander Smirnov, middle, leaves court in Las Vegas on February 20.

Who is Alexander Smirnov?

Smirnov is a 43-year-old dual American-Israeli citizen who moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas two years ago. A “confidential human source” for the FBI, he provided an FBI agent, his “handler,” information that had been used in multiple investigations dating back to 2010, according to a federal indictment.

Very little is known publicly about Smirnov. CNN has not obtained a photograph of him, for instance, and he shielded himself by covering his face when leaving court Tuesday, although he does appear to have quite a bit of money. Prosecutors, in asking unsuccessfully for Smirnov to be kept