The Department of Justice is currently reviewing the criminal case involving a former FBI informant who was found guilty of spreading false information about former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The DOJ is seeking the release of the man from prison while his case is being appealed. Alexander Smirnov was sentenced to six years in prison in January after admitting to lying to his FBI handler about the Bidens’ connection to a Ukrainian energy company, as well as facing unrelated tax fraud charges.
Smirnov’s false claims were used by House Republicans to support their attempts to impeach Joe Biden over unproven allegations of corruption during his time as vice president. The Assistant U.S. Attorney stated that the government will review the case’s foundation that led to Smirnov’s conviction.
The case, prosecuted by former special counsel David Weiss, accused Smirnov of fabricating stories about the Bidens accepting bribes from a Ukrainian energy company. The filing also highlighted Smirnov’s reported health issues in prison, including chronic eye disease, for which his attorneys requested his release for medical treatment in California.
Despite the defense’s efforts, the judge had previously denied requests for Smirnov’s release, citing concerns of him fleeing the country due to his connections with foreign intelligence services. The DOJ has not provided additional comments on the matter.
The news about the Trump administration reviewing the case of the FBI informant convicted of lying about the Bidens was originally reported on abcnews.go.com.
