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A former FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens' dealings in Ukraine told investigators after his arrest that Russian intelligence officials were involved in passing information about Hunter Biden to him. that information was false, prosecutors announced in a new court filing Tuesday.
Prosecutors also said that after Alexander Smirnov met with a Russian spy late last year, he was “actively spreading new lies that could affect the U.S. election” and that Alexander Smirnov had “actively spread new lies that could affect the U.S. election” and that after he met with Russian spies late last year, He said the fallout from the bribery allegations “continues to this day.”[s] Something I can still feel to this day. ”
Prosecutors said in their filing that Smirnov alleges he had “extensive and very recent” contact with foreign intelligence officials. He previously told the FBI that he had extensive contacts over the years with Russian spies, including senior intelligence officials and directing Russian assassins abroad, officials said. He said it also included people.
Prosecutors on Special Counsel David Weiss' team announced Tuesday that Mr. Smirnov maintains these relationships, saying in an interview after his arrest last week that “Mr. He admitted that he was involved in distributing the information.” To President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden.
The revelations about Mr. Smirnov's alleged foreign contacts were made part of Weiss's insistence that he be kept in prison pending trial. However, a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that Smirnov will be released while awaiting trial. The release was granted with several conditions, including that Smirnov undergo GPS monitoring and surrender both his American and Israeli passports.
Smirnov refused to answer questions as he left court Tuesday night.
Prosecutors argued that Smirnov “alleged to have contacts with multiple foreign intelligence services,” including Russia, and that he could use those contacts to flee the United States.
The explosive revelations came amid a backlash over how the now-revealed allegations against Mr. Smirnov affected House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into the president.
Mr. Smirnov is charged with lying to the FBI and creating false records. He has not yet filed a formal defense, his lawyer told CNN in a statement. Smirnov is presumed innocent. ”
According to new court filings, Mr. Smirnov told investigators that he had been in contact with “four different Russian officials,” all of them “top officials,” and two of them ” “He is the head of the organization he represents.” In their filings, prosecutors have not independently verified whether Mr. Smirnov's reported contacts were legitimate or whether the Russians provided Mr. Smirnov with false information about the Biden family.
The false information Mr. Smirnov reported was “not trivial,” prosecutors wrote.
“This incident targeted an alleged candidate for one of the two major political parties in the United States. The impact of Mr. Smirnov's false statements and fabricated information continues to be felt to this day. ” the prosecutor said, an apparent reference to the turmoil in Congress over discredited bribery allegations that were a key element of the Republican impeachment inquiry.
Of particular note is the story Smirnov allegedly told the FBI in September 2023 that Hunter Biden was making phone calls from a hotel in Kyiv that was “wired” and “under the control of Russians.” He claims that it was recorded. Federal officials said they knew Smirnov's story was false because Hunter Biden “has never traveled to Ukraine.”
Mr. Smirnov told investigators that Russian intelligence would use the hotel to intercept cell phone calls by “prominent American figures,” adding that depending on the candidate, the Russian government could use “Kompromat” in the 2024 election. The prosecutor's office said that it could be used as a ” Kompromat is a Russian term that refers to compromising information that can be used for blackmail.
Prosecutors noted that this story matches what Smirnov told his handlers about Hunter Biden being recorded in a foreign hotel.
“Thus, Mr. Smirnov's efforts to spread misinformation about candidates from one of the two major political parties in the United States continue,” prosecutors wrote.
And prosecutors wrote that Smirnov alleges he met with Russian intelligence officials in November and December 2023.
“What this shows is that the misinformation he is spreading is not limited to 2020,” they wrote. “After meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November, he has been actively spreading new lies that could affect the US election. Given that fact, he has accepted responsibility for his actions. There is a significant risk of fleeing to avoid this.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN's Holmes Lybrand and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.