Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov found himself back in custody in Nevada on Thursday, just two days after being released by a federal judge. Smirnov had previously faced charges for allegedly providing false information to the FBI regarding President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
The ex-informant, who was once highly regarded but has since fallen from grace, played a crucial role as a key witness for congressional Republicans who were determined to impeach the president. Unfortunately, their efforts to carry out the inquiry have now been rendered ineffective and unsuccessful.
Smirnov’s lawyers were in the middle of a morning meeting in Las Vegas when he was re-arrested. Without wasting any time, they immediately filed an emergency motion to secure his release.
According to the attorneys, the re-arrest of their client was unjustified as there was no new warrant being served. They argue that their client was taken into custody on the same charges as on February 14th.
After a hearing on Tuesday, a federal judge has granted Smirnov’s release from custody under certain conditions, including GPS monitoring. As a result, he has been allowed to go free. According to his lawyers, Smirnov has not had the opportunity to leave the county yet.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, claim that he poses a risk of fleeing.
Smirnov faced allegations of fabricating a false statement and forging a fictitious record pertaining to the alleged ties between the Biden family and a Ukrainian energy company. According to the FBI, he claimed that both Joe Biden and Hunter Biden received $5 million in bribes from Burisma, the company in question, around 2015.
According to prosecutors, Smirnov’s allegations about the president’s family are said to have originated from Russian intelligence. They further claim that Smirnov had frequent communication with Russian officials and had intentions to meet with them overseas. Furthermore, the prosecution argued that Smirnov’s substantial accessible funds, amounting to approximately $6 million, would allow him to live a comfortable life indefinitely if he were to escape.
Smirnov has not pleaded guilty or not guilty at this time.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts has issued an order for Smirnov, who holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, to surrender his two passports.
Biden and other Democrats have been advocating for the Republicans’ impeachment probe to come to a halt ever since Smirnov’s initial arrest.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) expressed his belief on Wednesday that the entire situation seemed to be not only clearly false and fraudulent, but also a result of Russian disinformation and propaganda.