FBI Informant Charged With Lying About Biden's Ties to Ukrainian Firm

Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, has been charged with making false statements to the FBI regarding Joe and Hunter Biden's ties to a Ukrainian energy firm. In June 2020, Smirnov falsely reported that executives had paid the Bidens $5 million each in 2015 or 2016. However, prosecutors state that Smirnov only had routine business dealings with the company in 2017 and made the bribery allegations after expressing bias against the president. An executive claimed that Hunter Biden was hired to "protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems," but this claim is not corroborated by the available information. Smirnov could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.