'Wild' rearrest order shows judge feared GOP's Biden witness was about to flee: report

A court document unsealed on Friday revealed that United States District Court for the Central District of California Otis Wight ordered the re-arrest of former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov because the judge found it "likely" that he would try to flee the country.

The order, which was described by Just Security legal reporter Adam Klasfeld as "wild," states that "it has come to this Court's attention that counsel for [Smirnov] has sought an emergency hearing... to arrange the release of Defendant Smirnov, likely to facilitate his absconding from the United States."

An earlier court decision agreed with the government that Smirnov was a flight risk, but disagreed that pretrial detention was necessary, and he was allowed to go free so long as he wore a GPS ankle bracelet.

Judge Wight said that the government's case was compelling enough to justify arresting Smirnov for a second time.

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What's more, he demanded that Smirnov be brought to his court by this coming Monday.

"That motion for reconsideration has been granted and this Court issued an arrest warrant specifying that upon his arrest Defendant should be brought promptly to this Court," wrote the judge. "Indeed, at 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 26, 2024 the USMS is to bring Defendant to courtroom 5-D located at the First Street Courthouse located at 350 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA for a detention hearing. The U.S. Marshal Service is advised there is to be no deviation from this Order."

Smirnov, who was considered a key witness in the House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, was arrested last week and charged with lying to investigators about bribes that Biden purportedly took from Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

In interviews with law enforcement officials, Smirnov admitted that he got his information about Biden from individuals linked to Russian intelligence services, special counsel David Weiss alleged earlier this week.