Republicans’ impeachment efforts dealt major blow after federal prosecutors charged ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, who had made claims against the Bidens
Good morning, US politics blog readers. For months, Republicans in the House of Representatives have been inching forward with an effort to impeach Joe Biden for alleged corruption. They have been particularly fixated on his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings, but the case against the president was dealt a major blow in recent days, after federal prosecutors brought charges against the former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov. The GOP fixated on Smirnov’s claims that both Bidens received bribes from a Ukrainian energy company, but prosecutors say those were fabricated. In another filing yesterday, the plot unraveled further: Smirnov allegedly had contacts with Russian intelligence, the government said.
What does all this mean for Republicans? The Biden impeachment effort hasn’t exactly been a top priority in recent months, and isn’t going to get the president out of office – Democrats control the Senate, and are sure to reject the charges. Congress is out, but Biden’s Republican antagonists in the House such as the oversight committee chair, James Comer, and the judiciary committee chair, Jim Jordan, will be pressed to react to the Smirnov affair – we’ll let you know if we hear from them today.
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