FBI Source Indicted for Discredited Biden Bribery Allegations Tied To Russian Intelligence Officials, Prosecutors Say

The FBI informant behind the discredited allegations of bribery against Joe and Hunter Biden has ties to high-level Russian intelligence officials, federal prosecutors said in a Tuesday court filing.

Alexander Smirnov, a former confidential human source (CHS) for the FBI, held meetings with multiple Russian officials with connections to the country’s intelligence services, special counsel David Weiss’s team of prosecutors said Smirnov told his FBI handler.

“That same day, Smirnov was arrested in the District of Nevada as he returned to the United States on an international flight. Smirnov was scheduled to leave the United States two days later, on February 16, 2024, for a months-long, multi-country trip that, by his own description, involved meetings with officials of foreign intelligence agencies and governments,” prosecutors said in a detention memo.

“During his custodial interview on February 14, Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about Businessperson 1,” prosecutors added. The “Businessperson 1” appears to be Hunter Biden, based on the description of him as the son of a political figure who ran for president in 2020.

Smirnov allegedly has a relationship with a Russian official he described as the son of a former high-ranking official and tied to a Russian intelligence service. He also has ties to a second Russian intelligence official who is described as a high-ranking member of a Russian intelligence service, prosecutors said.

“Of particular note, Smirnov has reported numerous contacts with Russian Official 1, who has been described by Smirnov in a number of ways, including as the son of a former high-ranking Russian government official,” the detention memo asserts.

“In December 2023, Smirnov reported to his Handler about a recent overseas trip, where Smirnov attended a meeting with Russian Official 2, who Smirnov has described as a high-ranking member of a specific Russian foreign intelligence service,” the document adds.

He and the second Russian official discussed a resolution to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Separately, Smirnov attended a meeting with the first Russian official who claimed a different Russian official ran an intelligence operation at a hotel.

“Smirnov told the FBI Handler that the Russian Intelligence Service intercepted cell phone calls made by guests at the hotel. The Russian Intelligence Service intercepted several calls placed by prominent U.S. persons the Russian government may use as ‘kompromat’ in the 2024 election, depending on who the candidates will be,” prosecutors stated.

Smirnov’s story of the Russians intercepting phone calls at the hotel mirrors what he told federal investigators in September 2023 when they interviewed him about the Biden bribery allegations. He told investigators the Palace Premier Hotel Kyiv is wired and suggested they look into whether Hunter Biden was recorded in the hotel, according to Smirnov’s criminal indictment. Hunter Biden has not traveled to Ukraine or been to the hotel, making Smirnov’s story false.

Federal prosecutors listed in the detention memo all of Smirnov’s notable contacts with high-ranking Russian officials prior to the December 2023 trip. He was expected to travel outside of the U.S. last Friday to meet with Russian intelligence officials.

“Smirnov told investigators that the four different Russian officials are all top officials and two are the heads of the entities they represent,” the memo says after listing all of his meetings with Russian officials.

“What this shows is that the misinformation he is spreading is not confined to 2020. He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November. In light of that fact, there is a serious risk he will flee in order to avoid accountability for his actions.”

Prosecutors warned that Smirnov can use his dual American and Israeli citizenship to leave the country. He appears to have access to millions worth of funds for himself and his female partner that he did not disclose to pretrial services.

Smirnov is facing two counts related to the false information he gave to federal investigators alleging Joe and Hunter Biden took $10 million from Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky, the founder of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings. The allegations he brought forward in June 2020 were memorialized by an FBI form used to record unverified reports from confidential sources.

Hunter Biden’s attorneys used Smirnov’s indictment to question the effectiveness of Weiss’ team in a court filing Tuesday supplementing Biden’s request for discovery in his federal gun case.