An FBI informant has been charged with lying to authorities about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving U.S. President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company, a claim that is central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.
Alexander Smirnov falsely reported in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden US$5 million each in 2015 or 2016, prosecutors said. An executive claimed to have hired Hunter Biden to “protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems,” prosecutors said.
Smirnov in fact had only routine business dealings with the company in 2017 and made the bribery allegations after he “expressed bias” against Joe Biden, who was then a presidential candidate, prosecutors said in court documents.
Smirnov, 43, appeared in court in Las Vegas briefly Thursday after being charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record. He did not enter a plea. The judge ordered the courtroom cleared after federal public defender Margaret Wightman Lambrose requested a closed hearing for arguments about sealing court documents. She declined to comment on the case.
The informant’s claims have been central to the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, and helped spark what is now a House impeachment inquiry into Biden. An attorney for Hunter Biden, who is expected to give a deposition later this month, said the charges show the probe is "based on dishonest, uncredible allegations and witnesses.”
Prosecutors say that Smirnov had contact with Burisma executives, but it was routine and actually took place took place in 2017, after President Barack Obama and Biden, his vice-president, had left office -- when Biden would have had no ability to influence U.S. policy.
Smirnov "transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against Public Official 1, the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against Public Official 1 and his candidacy,” the indictment said.
He repeated some of the false claims when he was interviewed by FBI agents in September 2023 and changed his story about others and “promoted a new false narrative after he said he met with Russian officials," prosecutors said.
Hunter Biden, U.S. President Joe Biden's son, accompanied by his attorney Abbe Lowell, left, leaves a House Oversight Committee hearing as Republicans are taking the first step toward holding him in contempt of Congress, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
The charges were filed by U.S. Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, who has separately charged Hunter Biden with firearm and tax violations.
The Burisma allegations became a flashpoint in Congress as Republicans pursing investigations of President Joe Biden and his family demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the allegations. They acknowledged they couldn't confirm if the allegations were true.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., had subpoenaed the FBI last year for the so-called FD-1023 document as Republicans deepened their probe of Biden and his son Hunter ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Working alongside Comer, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa released an unclassified document that Republicans at the time claimed was significant in their investigation of Hunter Biden. It added to information that had been widely aired during Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial involving Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens ahead of the 2020 election. The White House said at the time that the claims had been debunked for years.
The impeachment inquiry into Biden over his son’s business dealings has lagged in the House, but the panel is pushing ahead with its work.
Hunter Biden is expected to appear before the committee later this month. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, said he had long warned the probe was based on “lies told by people with political agendas, not facts. We were right and the air is out of their balloon.”
A judge set a detention hearing for Feb. 20 for Smirnov, who was arrested at the Las Vegas airport after arriving in the U.S. from overseas.
Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
Most Canadians say they feel the federal government is overspending, according to a new survey, but increased funding in some policy areas remains popular.
Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are on the rise across Canada, according to the organization that represents the country's fire chiefs, prompting warnings from fire services, injury law firms and even Health Canada.
A U.S. Navy and Coast Guard operation on Tuesday rescued three mariners stranded on a tiny Pacific Ocean islet for more than a week after the trio spelled out 'HELP' using palm fronds laid on a white-sand beach.
Homeless Indigenous women in the North do not feel well-protected by the RCMP and instead face violence and discrimination by police, a new report from the Yellowknife Women's Society has found.
The hours you work earlier in life may be associated with worse health years later, a new study has found.
A woman who authorities say fatally stabbed her partner at their Los Angeles apartment Monday then threw her two children from a moving SUV onto the freeway, killing her infant daughter, was an astrologer who called the impending solar eclipse 'the epitome of spiritual warfare' in an online post days earlier.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
The debate over the constitutionality of Quebec's secularism law is poised to go to the Supreme Court of Canada.
A family in Kitchener, Ont., says a hunk of metal fell out of the sky Monday morning and smashed through their home.
Homeless Indigenous women in the North do not feel well-protected by the RCMP and instead face violence and discrimination by police, a new report from the Yellowknife Women's Society has found.
A First Nations chief in Manitoba is facing charges in the alleged sexual assault of a child.
Widespread drought, warmer weather and minimal snow cover during the winter means Canada could see an intense wildfire season through the spring and summer after unprecedented burns last year.
A B.C. man who killed two black bears that wandered onto his property – where authorities later found he had left out beehive debris and other attractants – has been fined more than $7,000.
As the United States calls for nationwide plans to quickly test and treat humans during an outbreak of bird flu, Canada says it has similar measures available to monitor and detect the virus.
The debate over the constitutionality of Quebec's secularism law is poised to go to the Supreme Court of Canada.
A U.S. Navy and Coast Guard operation on Tuesday rescued three mariners stranded on a tiny Pacific Ocean islet for more than a week after the trio spelled out 'HELP' using palm fronds laid on a white-sand beach.
Five people have been arrested and multiple firearms have been recovered after a Wednesday afternoon shooting in West Philadelphia, police say.
The lawyers who negotiated a US$600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern over that railroad's disastrous 2023 derailment in Ohio want residents to talk with them before deciding the historic deal isn't enough.
Workers hurriedly tried to shore up a rural Utah dam after a 60-foot (18-metre) crack opened and sent water pouring into a creek and endangering the 1,700 residents of a downstream town.
Donald Trump is now 0 for 3 in last-minute attempts to get a New York appeals court to delay his looming hush money criminal trial.
Severe storms blamed for a death in Mississippi spawned a tornado that demolished buildings in one Louisiana city Wednesday while inundating streets in low-lying New Orleans with hours of steady rain that snarled traffic and strained the city's antiquated drainage system.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
The federal New Democrats backed Conservative demands Wednesday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau take part in a televised 'emergency meeting' on carbon pricing with Canada's premiers.
Most Canadians say they feel the federal government is overspending, according to a new survey, but increased funding in some policy areas remains popular.
As the United States calls for nationwide plans to quickly test and treat humans during an outbreak of bird flu, Canada says it has similar measures available to monitor and detect the virus.
The hours you work earlier in life may be associated with worse health years later, a new study has found.
A few weeks ago, Michele Campeau faced what seemed like an impossible decision: move her mom from a hospital bed to a long-term care home the family hated or pay $400 a day to remain at the health-care facility.
A Canadian national park is the best place in the world for stargazing, says a new report.
Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are on the rise across Canada, according to the organization that represents the country's fire chiefs, prompting warnings from fire services, injury law firms and even Health Canada.
The Air Force is betting a large part of its future air warfare on a fleet more than 1,000 autonomously operated drones, and later this spring its top civilian leader plans to climb into an artificial intelligence-operated warplane and let it take him airborne.
A young actor from Prince Edward Island is getting the chance to fulfill a childhood dream, playing the precocious and iconic Anne Shirley on stage.
A school teacher who took part in the Quebec version of the Survivor reality TV show took time off work to be a contestant is now out of a job.
Renee Zellweger is set to reprise her beloved role of Bridget Jones in an upcoming fourth installment of the popular film franchise.
Unifor says it has filed two applications to represent Vancouver-area Amazon workers with the B.C. Labour Relations Board.
The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at five per cent on Wednesday, saying it needs to see a sustained decline in inflation before rate cuts can begin.
The self-described scoundrels of Okanagan wine country have pulled one of their most popular sparkling wines after a warning from one of the world’s most famous and prestigious producers, Dom Perignon.
The Royal BC Museum has been named the steward of a collection of Terry Fox's belongings, including the shoes and prosthetic leg he wore during his Marathon of Hope.
For a brief moment, one German man achieved his dream: his artwork hanging in a famous museum.
A museum in Australia is being forced to allow men into art exhibit originally conceived for women only, after a tribunal ruled it 'discriminatory,' following a complaint by a disgruntled man who was denied entry.
Cam Thomas had 23 points, Dennis Schroder scored 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-102 on Wednesday night.
Toronto relievers Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson had bags packed by their locker-room stalls at Rogers Centre on Wednesday ahead of a trip to Buffalo to continue building up for a return from the injured list.
Jennifer Jones and Brad Jacobs bounced back from lopsided tournament-opening losses with victories in Wednesday's early draw at the Grand Slam of Curling's Players' Championship.
Tesla has settled a lawsuit over a 2018 car crash that killed an Apple engineer after his Model X, operating on Autopilot, swerved off a highway near San Francisco, court documents showed on Monday.
A new poll from Nanos Research for CTV News has found that a majority of Canadians doubt the police are able to recover stolen cars.
Elon Musk has long had an affinity for self-driving vehicles, claiming they will be one of Tesla's most important products. Despite big promises, years have gone by without cars that can, so far, drive on their own.
Nicholas Zhang, 17, will be competing at the Paris Olympics in July. He is the youngest Canadian male fencer to ever compete in the category.
For many, Monday's total solar eclipse will become a distant memory or collection of photos to scroll through in the years to come. But for Alannah Duarte and her family, they'll be reminded of the rare celestial event every year they celebrate their youngest son's birthday, as he was born on the day of the momentous occasion.
A Montreal couple is having a hard time driving without stress and is unhappy with the city's maintenance after a chunk of highway crashed into their windshield while driving on Thursday night.
As many Star Trek fans may know, Friday was “First Contact Day,” but one superfan got to spend the day in his own starship.
When Catherine Dobrowolski began doing daily walks by the water, she never expected to make an eight-legged friend.
Pioneering Canadian giraffe researcher and feminist activist Anne Innis Dagg has died at the age of 91.
According to a news release from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Merlin the Macaw, a resident mascot for the facility, is flying off to Safari Niagara in Fort Erie, Ontario.
A family from Ontario says their SUV was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Montreal while the family was on a March break vacation down south.
Two adventurous snowbirds have embarked on an amazing journey back to Canada, and they're inviting the world to join in on their adventure.
A whistleblower who is a mental health and addictions worker for the Victoria Cool Aid Society says she has been hospitalized after being exposed to toxic drug fumes while at work.
The chief of the Surrey Police Service says he's 'excited' to take over policing in the city. The date for that change is expected to be announced soon.
Thirty-one-year-old Matt Rose had been mountain biking with Andrew Chu for months before learning he was decades younger than the man considered to be a legend in the North Shore trail riding community.
An Ontario couple planned to celebrate their anniversary at a resort in Jamaica in February. Despite meticulously planning the trip, their WestJet flight out of Toronto Pearson International Airport had been abruptly cancelled.
Three people have been transported to hospital, one of them in critical condition, following an overnight shooting in Toronto's Fashion District downtown.
A man accused of running over a Toronto police officer nearly three years ago is expected to continue testifying at his trial today.
A series of connected parties prompted police to close a block of a residential street Tuesday as students celebrated the last day of classes.
Last summer, a thread on Reddit drummed up support for closing 17th Avenue S.W. to cars and making it a pedestrian walkway.
Calgary residents gathered at an open house on Tuesday to have their voices heard on proposed blanket rezoning throughout the city.
Ottawa residents will need the umbrellas and rain gear, with a spring storm expected to bring up to 35 mm of rain to the capital region over the next two days.
Last summer's smoky skies could make a return this year, as officials say Canada is on track for a repeat of the 2023 wildfire season – the worst on record.
A tow truck driver is facing speeding charges and six drivers received tickets for seatbelt infractions, as Ontario Provincial Police officers continue to keep an eye on roads across eastern Ontario.
Get ready to keep your rain gear handy for the next few days. Thursday morning will begin with increasing cloudiness and into the afternoon intermittent rain is expected, totalling approximately 15 millimetres.
In the era of debate over whether screen time is bad for children, one Montreal organization is actually encouraging them to watch more films.
A row between two men in downtown Montreal has left one of them injured and in hospital.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has introduced a gatekeeping law that would allow the province to veto any future deal struck between municipalities and the federal government.
Parkland County and Leduc County declared the bans after multiple grass fires broke out over the past few days.
A medical examiner was one of the final witnesses called by the Crown during a teen's manslaughter trial in Edmonton.
When Cathy Seale read the notice posted on the door, announcing the Tacoma Family Medicine Walk-in Clinic in Dartmouth, N.S., would close beginning Monday, her reaction was one of sadness.
Many Atlantic Canadians are squeezed by the cost of living pressures and lingering financial impacts from the pandemic, though not everyone's feeling the pinch.
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality is seeking the Nova Scotia government's help to tear down hundreds of abandoned buildings.
A local organization is calling on a Winnipeg councillor to be removed from the public works committee following comments made at a meeting on Tuesday.
A Winnipeg city councillor is pushing for the garbage piling up at homeless camps to be cleared, but a report notes weekly garbage pickup could cost the city $4 million a year.
A former teacher faces 33 months in prison for child luring.
A fire that caused "extensive damage" to The Bay at the Cornwall Centre was deliberately set, Regina Fire and Protective Services (RFPS) say.
Concern grows for Saskatchewan families who need care from pediatric specialists in the province.
To alleviate backlog, Saskatchewan signed a $6 million deal last year with a private Alberta clinic to perform extra surgeries. The NDP question the clinic selection process.
A family in Kitchener, Ont., says a hunk of metal fell out of the sky Monday morning and smashed through their home.
The Ministry of Labour is investigating after two Hydro One workers were hurt while working on a transmission tower near Petersburg, Ont., just outside Kitchener.
Monday’s solar eclipse had all eyes on the sky – but if you weren’t wearing proper protection you might need to get your eyes checked.
City councillors heard crime concerns from residents Wednesday after receiving a joint report by Saskatoon police the fire department about community changes following the opening of a major emergency shelter.
Nearly a year has passed since Charlene Fineday's family was devastated. Her son, Darnell, was struck by an impaired driver, leaving him crippled and non-verbal.
Saskatoon fire crews spent a second day battling a large blaze along Highway 16 southeast of the city. The incident could mark the start of another intense wildfire season.
A recent decision by the northern Ontario community of East Ferris, near North Bay, not to fly the Pride flag isn’t sitting well with some.
Environment Canada has issued a heavy rainfall warning for northeastern Ontario, with rain expected to arrive Thursday.
A 33-year-old man is wanted by Sudbury police for criminal charges involving intimate partner violence.
According to Western, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Local 610 (PSAC610) walked away from the bargaining table Wednesday night and were in a legal strike position at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
London is home to a new self-service convenience store. There's no one cashing customers out — it's all done with a smart-phone.
Some areas will experience heavier rainfall than others, but areas that experience a heavy thunderstorm could see upwards of 50 mm of rain over the next couple of days.
Viewers were treated to an unexpected guest during CTV Weather Specialist KC Colby's weather segment on Wednesday.
Four people face charges in connection with a drug trafficking investigation.
Significant rainfall is expected throughout the region on Thursday through Friday morning. Total rainfall amounts in parts of Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent could be between 30 to 55mm.
There are a lot of issues on the plate of Dan Inverarity, camp manager for Kiwanis Sunshine Point Camp in Colchester. 'This is our 78th year and I want there to be a 79th and 80th year. I don't want to close the camp,' he said.
Windsor police have arrested a 35-year-old man and seized over $18,000 in illicit drugs in east Windsor.
A Vancouver Island man has been acquitted of manslaughter after he violently defended himself in an altercation with a 53-year-old attacker following an alcohol-fuelled house party.
After a long four-year renovation of Victoria High School, some would say what was old is new again. Others dispute that.
One man is dead and a suspect remains at large after a stabbing near downtown Victoria on Tuesday night.
More than 80 residents from a low-income apartment building in Kelowna, B.C., have learned they won't be able to return to their homes for at least another two weeks.
Mounties are investigating a reported "road rage" incident in Kelowna, B.C., that left two men injured last week.
More than 80 residents of a low-income apartment building in Kelowna, B.C., have been told they need to leave over a 'significant' risk to life and safety.
Medicine Hat's mayor and city council continue to butt heads, and that has some residents asking the province to step in.
Lethbridge police are hosting their first town hall of the year Wednesday night with the focus on the city’s downtown.
An RCMP officer has described the tenuous, and often fraught, relationship police forged with protesters as they tried to end the COVID-era border blockade in Coutts, Alta.
Environment Canada has issued a heavy rainfall warning for northeastern Ontario, with rain expected to arrive Thursday.
A Sault Ste. Marie city councillor is hoping to move forward after he was found to have breached council’s code of conduct.
Two people from northern Ontario are richer by a few hundred thousand dollars after winning two recent lottery prizes.
Longliners across Newfoundland and Labrador are tied up once again, as a new protest by the province's fish harvesters threatens to derail the crab fishery for a second straight year.
A unique photo exhibit is putting cameras into the hands of survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Newfoundland and Labrador.
A controversial wind-powered hydrogen development proposed for the west coast of Newfoundland has cleared its last hurdle with the provincial government.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
