Developments on the other side of the country, in Nevada, where federal prosecutors this month are the focus of the interview. indicted FBI informantAlexander Smirnov, who claimed there was a multi-million dollar corruption scheme involving the president, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company. Prosecutors say in court documents that Smirnov had “extensive and extremely recent” contact with people close to Russian intelligence services.
Smirnov’s lawyers have said he is presumed innocent.
Republicans pressured the FBI last summer over the informant’s claims, demanding to see the underlying documents and ultimately releasing the unverified information to the public. This claim was cited repeatedly in letters that House Republicans sent to impeachment witnesses.
Many Republican lawmakers say they have yet to see evidence of the “high crimes and misdemeanors” required for impeachment, despite alleged efforts by Biden family members to leverage the family name to generate revenue for businesses domestically and abroad.
But the Republican presidents leading the impeachment effort remain undeterred by the series of setbacks in their high-profile investigation. Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said last week that the informant’s indictment “does not change the basic facts” that the Biden family tried to profit from the family name in several companies abroad.
And Comer told Fox News on Tuesday that Smirnov was never “a key part of this investigation.”
Comer and Jordan have insisted over the past year that their investigation focused solely on Joe Biden and what actions, if any, he took as vice president or president to benefit his family. But at almost every turn, their investigation has focused consistently and heavily on Hunter Biden. Several lines of inquiry have been opened into Hunter’s international business affairs, his art sales, and even his personal life and intermittent struggle with addiction.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has no shortage of legal problems at the Capitol as he faces criminal charges in two states following a special counsel investigation. He is facing gun count charges in Delaware, alleging he broke laws prohibiting drug users from owning firearms in 2018, during which time he admitted to struggling with addiction. Special Counsel David Weiss filed suit additional fees late last year, alleging he failed to pay about $1.4 million in taxes over three years.
He pleaded not guilty in both cases.
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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and video journalists Nathan Ellgren and Rick Gentilo contributed to this report.
