GOP’s Biden Impeachment Witness Told Feds He Got Stories From Russian Officials
Last week, Alexander Smirnov was charged for lying to the FBI. A new memo says he got his information from the Russian government.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The increasingly-discredited star witness for the GOP-led impeachment inquiry into president Joe Biden admitted to federal authorities that he had ties to high-ranking Russian officials, according to a memo from special counsel David Weiss filed on Tuesday.
“[Alexander] Smirnov’s contacts with Russian officials who are affiliated with Russian intelligence services are not benign,” the memo said.
“During his custodial interview on February 14, Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about [Hunter Biden],” the memo said.
During his interview with the FBI Smirnov also reported numerous meetings with a particularly dangerous-sounding character: a high-ranking Russian government official that Smirnov described as someone who “controls two groups of individuals tasked with carrying out assassination efforts in a third-party country, a Russian representative to another country, and as someone with ties to a particular Russian intelligence service.”
The memo does not reveal the identity of Smirnov’s contacts.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Smirnov previously claimed that Hunter Biden had been given a seat on the board of a Ukrainian-based energy company Burisma for the purpose of shielding the company using his father’s political power—claims that have yet to be proven.
Last week, Smirnov was charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record in relation to his testimony.
In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Smirnov lied about his meetings with Burisma, and added falsities to the stories he relayed when interviewed by the FBI in September. If convicted, Smirnov faces up to 25 years in prison.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.