How is an ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens allegedly linked to Russian intelligence?
WASHINGTON (AP) — The explosive allegations at the center of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden were false, federal prosecutors said, and came from an ex-FBI informant who said he was in touch with Russian intelligence.
The informant, Alexander Smirnov, is “actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections,” federal prosecutors said Wednesday, as they appealed to a judge to keep him behind bars ahead of trial on charges alleging he lied to the FBI about a phony multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the Bidens and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Defense attorneys have not directly addressed prosecutors’ claims about Russian intelligence contacts but said they look forward to defending him at trial. Republicans in Congress have distanced themselves from Smirnov’s claims and resisted calls to end the impeachment inquiry.
Here’s a look at what’s known about Smirnov, the case against him and fears about potential effects on U.S. elections:
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