Federal prosecutors were put on notice as far back as 2016 that Alexander Smirnov, the confidential FBI informant whose alleged lies about President Biden's business dealings fueled — and then damaged — a Republican impeachment effort, was a known 'liar and a fraudster.' Smirnov, 43, was indicted last month for allegedly fabricating a story about President Biden and his son Hunter each accepting $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian energy company.
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.'Benincasa, a lawyer for Sarkisyan and Khachatryan, said his clients' case raises serious concerns about the FBI's handling of its confidential informant.'Confidential informants will say things to their handlers to, you know, they're trying to get a benefit.