House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Sunday stood by his decision to investigate the claims of an FBI informant who is currently being indicted as part of a Republican investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings.
Comer said the accusations by longtime FBI informant and now-turned-crime Alexander Smirnov, which Republicans spent months trying to get, were just “a hint that we should look into.” he claimed.
Smirnov was arrested on February 14 on two counts of making false statements related to FD-1023, or a government form containing unverified statements to FBI agents regarding alleged bribery claims involving the Biden family. Ta.
“All we knew about Smirnov was 1023.” [form] ” Comer (R-Ky.) told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” and defended the House Republican effort to investigate Smirnov’s comments during the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
“We knew the FBI had never investigated it before, and all we knew was what it was.” [FBI Director] Christopher Wray told us that this informant was one of the most trusted and highest paid people in the department. [Wray] I was in that position for over 10 years,” Comer said.
FD-1023 alleges that Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma Holdings, is accused of cooperating with the firing of former Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma. The charges included allegations that he paid a total of $10 million in bribes to his son Hunter.
None of these accusations have been verified and now appear to be questionable.
Republicans had long been at odds with the FBI to obtain Smirkunov’s FD-1023. Then last summer, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released a copy of the document to the public.
After Smirnov’s arrest, Democrats quickly slammed Republicans. President Biden has called on Republicans to end his own impeachment inquiry into allegations of foreign influence trafficking. The investigation began last fall and is being led by Comer.
“It appears that the only thing House Republicans can do clearly is provide more and more evidence that disproves the false accusations that President Biden has been touting for years,” the White House investigative spokesperson said. Ian Sams to mediate last week.
“House Republicans need to stop wasting their time chasing baseless smears and instead work with President Biden and Democrats in Congress to focus on the issues that actually matter,” Sams said.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said: The impeachment inquiry said: After the revelations about Smirnov, it was “practically over.”
But Comer downplayed FD-1023’s charges, saying, “We’re not leaving any stone unturned.”
The indictment against Smirnov notes that Smirnov sent his handlers “a series of messages expressing bias” against Joe Biden. He also allegedly shared a false story that appeared to originate from Russian intelligence that a hotel in Kiev, Ukraine, called the Premier Palace, recorded Hunter, 54,’s damning statements. ing.
Prosecutors say this turned out to be false because Hunter “has never traveled to Ukraine.”
Mr. Hunter had been earning up to $1 million a year at natural gas giant Burisma Holdings since 2014 before leaving the company.
Mr. Kamel has repeatedly downplayed Mr. Smirnov’s importance in the House’s impeachment inquiry following news of Mr. Smirnov’s indictment.
“At the end of the day, he didn’t play a significant role in this investigation because I didn’t even know who he was,” Comer told Newsmax last week. “All I knew was there was a 1023.” [form] It is suspected of bribery. ”
The Kentucky Republican also mentioned convicted fraudster Jason Galanis, whom Congressional aides interviewed from an Alabama prison on Friday.
Galanis boasted to a former colleague when Joe Biden was vice president that Hunter “will forever change your access.”
“What we learned was very similar to what Tony Bobulinski said. [Galanis] I was very familiar with the CEFC contract,” Comer said.
Tony Bobulinski is a former partner of the eldest son and helped him with business deals involving Chinese energy giant CEFC. Bobulinski testified before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees earlier this month and is widely considered a key witness in the Republican effort against the president.
“I think the whole premise of the CEFC paying the Bidens was to give them access to all the markets in our country, not just the energy market, but agricultural land and manufacturing,” Comer surmised. .
but Kamel conceded If House Republicans actually want to impeach the president, they will face a difficult math problem.
This Wednesday, the eldest son is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees to give much-awaited testimony.
Last week, the president’s younger brother, James Biden, testified that his brother had “no involvement whatsoever and no direct or indirect financial interest” in his business dealings.
