After ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was indicted on charges that he lied about President Joe Biden accepting a $5 million bribe, reporter Aaron Blake decided to round up the names of Republicans who parroted his now in-question claims.
Smirnov's accusations — that both the president and his son Hunter Biden accepted $5 million bribes — were the focal point of the GOP's impeachment inquiry into Biden. As the Washington Post report points out, Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan last month called the claims “the most corroborating evidence we have" and Republicans pushed them as if they were fact.
Now, the Justice Department accuses Smirnov of having “extensive” contacts with Russian intelligence who were officials involved in disseminating those claims.
Also read: Republican busted making massive flip after informant accused of lying to Biden inquiry
Jordan appears at the top of Blake's list, and is quoted appearing on Sean Hannity's Fox News show last month to tout Smirnov's credibility.
“How much you want to bet this source is a lot more credible than Christopher Steele, the guy who created the dossier that they used to go after President Trump?" Jordan said. "I bet you this source has a lot more credibility.”
Here are just a handful of the Republicans named in the Washington Post report:
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) took to X and said: "This is damning evidence that Biden is compromised. Remember when Democrats and their pals in the media went as far as to question whether this document even exists?"
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) called Smirnov's allegations “the biggest political corruption scandal, not only in my lifetime, but I would say the past 100 years.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo: "You just have to read the FBI’s FD-1023 form of the interview with the president of [Ukrainian energy company] Burisma to see that Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden were bribing or requiring from, really extorting Burisma to the tune of $10 million, $5 million for each one of them. I mean, come on.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called the FBI document "impeachable" and that Biden should be "prosecuted."