A fresh twist has emerged in the allegations by US Republicans against President’s son, Hunter Biden, who is accused of exploiting his father’s position to engage in questionable transactions with a Ukrainian company.
The US justice system announced on Thursday the arrest of a former FBI informant on charges of falsely accusing Hunter Biden of corruption.
The accused, Alexander Smirnov, was arrested at a Las Vegas airport upon his return from abroad. The special prosecutor’s office leading the investigation against Hunter Biden stated that the 43-year-old ex-informant falsely accused President Joe Biden and his son Hunter of accepting bribes of five million dollars each to shield the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma, from prosecution.
Potential 25-year prison sentence
Smirnov could face up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. According to the lawsuit, his allegations against Joe and Hunter Biden are totally unfounded.
This development undermines the Republican’s attempts to impeach President Joe Biden over his son’s alleged wrongdoings. Smirnov’s accusations were previously central to the allegations against the president and his son.
The Republicans claim that Hunter Biden capitalized on his father’s position as Vice President under Barack Obama to conduct business in Ukraine and China. The allegations against President Biden suggest that he was involved in his son’s controversial foreign business dealings and financially benefited from them.
Lack of evidence
Republicans have yet to produce evidence supporting their allegations against the president, a fact even conservative politicians acknowledge. Democrats accuse Republicans of attempting to politically damage the incumbent ahead of the November presidential election, in retaliation for the two impeachment proceedings against ex-President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit against Smirnov states his accusations lack credibility due to the timeframe. Smirnov claimed to the FBI in 2020 that he had a meeting with Burisma executives in 2015 or 2016, during the Obama/Biden administration, where they confessed to using the help of Hunter Biden and his father to shield the company from US legal issues, paying them five million dollars each.
The investigation, however, revealed that Smirnov only came into contact with Burisma in 2017, during Trump’s presidency, when Biden no longer had political influence. It is also noted that Smirnov waited until 2020 to make his allegations, when Biden became Trump’s presidential election opponent.
Hunter Biden’s reputation has not been unaffected by the allegations. The investigation brought his struggles with drug and alcohol to the fore, which he claims to have since addressed. Inquiries into tax fraud and illegal possession of weapons were also initiated against him. Joe Biden and Trump are expected to compete in the upcoming US presidential election in November.
