An ex-FBI informant is charged with lying about the Bidens. But the US was warned he was a ‘fraud’ years ago

A former FBI informant has been charged with lying about President Joe Biden and his son’s business dealings — but his reputation as a “liar” dates back to at least 2016, according to a report.

The Republican-led impeachment inquiry into the president hinged on details that Alexander Smirnov provided — which have now been deemed as “false derogatory information.”

But long before these recent revelations, Mr Smirnov’s credibility was called into question.

There was a criminal case in which Mr Smirnov allegedly gave false information to the FBI — unbeknownst to the agency at the time — that ultimately led to a prosecution, CBS News reported.

Mr Smirnov’s information was used in a 2015 racketeering case in California, in which the Justice Department brought charges against 33 defendants, the outlet wrote. His information also led to a separate case involving two of the defendants in the racketeering case.

In a sentencing brief, one defendant’s lawyer, Joseph Benincasa, wrote, “The CHS [confidential human source] was known to the United States as a liar and fraudster.”

Mr Benincasa then claimed that the confidential human source “lied to the government” and called the intel “completely untrue.

The document does not name the source or identify Mr Smirnov.

A footnote in the document states that the government was provided with the notes of their private investigator’s interview with a close associate of Smirnov who repeatedly called him a “liar.”

A courtroom sketch of Alexander Smirnov from Feb. 26, 2024

A footnote in the filing states, “A second CHS was interviewed by the defendant’s private investigator and extensively stated that the CHS was a liar. This interview was turned over to the government but has not been provided