A former FBI informant was charged with making false claims in the Hunter Biden investigation, with the Department of Justice linking him to Russian intelligence. Now legal experts are saying that the fallout over the development could have major repercussions for Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan.
Informant Alexander Smirnov admitted in interviews with the Justice Department that he had met with Russian intelligence officials who were "involved in passing a story" about Hunter Biden. As Newsweek points out, claims that President Joe Biden financially benefited from his son's business dealings were cited by Jordan and others in their impeachment inquiry of the President.
Smirnov is accused of lying to the FBI about Biden and his son being paid $5 million each in bribes from Ukrainian energy company, Burisma. If it's found that the source of those claims was Russian intelligence, the backlash on Jordan and other Republicans could be huge, experts said.
Also read: 'Give me a break, dude': CNN panel pummels 'not smart' Trump for Navalny comparison
In a post to X, former New York Assistant Attorney General Tristan Snell said "Jim Jordan, Chuck Grassley, and James Comer were either duped by Smirnov and the Kremlin — or they were in on it."
"Either way, DOJ must subpoena every single communication Jordan, Grassley, and Comer had with or about Smirnov and anything related," Snell added.
Also posting to X was Tennessee Democratic election commissioner Chris D. Jackson, who said if the Democrats take back the House, "They need to censure James Comer and Jim Jordan, and remove them from their committees."
National security journalist Marcy Wheeler wrote: "The detention report that Smirnov is spooked up means that Comer and Jordan were easy dupes of Russian spies."
Prosecutors argued Smirnov should remain in custody after his arrest last week, saying that he has contacts with Russian intelligence agencies and that he is "actively peddling new lies."
"Smirnov's contacts with Russian officials who are affiliated with Russian intelligence services are not benign," prosecutors wrote.
