Crockett Releases Statement on Smirnov Guilty Plea for False Allegations Against Bidens
Today, Congresswomen Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) released the following statement responding to news that ex-FBI informant and Russian agent Alexander Smirnov had pleaded guilty to providing false information to federal authorities about Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden months before the 2020 presidential election.
"For nearly two years, House Republicans have used the false testimony of a Russian foreign agent, Alexander Smirnov, as a way to try and improve their electoral prospects by spreading lies about President Joe Biden and his family. Smirnov—whom the U.S. government itself has described as someone with 'an amalgam of otherwise unremarkable business meetings and contacts,'— began this political smear job by going to the FBI and spreading disinformation, which was then recorded on an FBI FD-1023 form. The extent of his lies was wide ranging. He lied about his wealth, his profession, his background, and importantly, he lied about purported illegal and corrupt actions involving President Biden and his son Hunter Biden—none of which ever occurred.
"In spite of the attempts by my Democratic colleagues and I to verify the information given by Smirnov, Republicans used the uncorroborated claims in the document as their smoking gun to justify impeaching President Biden. Our concerns into the claims’ veracity turned out to be well-founded: in February 2024, after thorough investigations by lawyers, the FBI, and the Department of Justice, Alexander Smirnov, the so-called confidential human source behind the false Biden corruption story, was arrested, criminally charged, and has entered a plea of guilty for providing false statements to the FBI and creating a false and fictitious record. Unfortunately for democracy and the American people, the damage was already done. By platforming and broadcasting these unfounded and baseless accusations against our President from within the House Oversight Committee, House Judiciary Committee, and House Ways and Means Committee, Republicans wasted millions of taxpayer dollars to fund an outright lie propagated by Smirnov and praised by our Russian adversaries.
"With yesterday’s guilty plea, Mr. Smirnov is admitting what Democrats have been spelling out for months: these claims are lies and there is no basis for impeachment of President Biden. This was nothing more than an attempt by Russia and other foreign adversaries to undermine President Biden and tip the scales of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. The success of Russia’s efforts to advance Mr. Smirnov’s work tarnishing an honorable, law-abiding president in favor of Putin’s dictator-loving, 34 felony-indicted close friend, Donald Trump, should alarm everyone. For nearly two years leading up to one of the most influential presidential elections in modern history, House Republicans quickly spread Russian-sourced misinformation about an American President and his family—an American President that has been steadfast in his firm opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine and who has tirelessly worked to strengthen America’s commitment and partnership to our NATO allies, to the displeasure of America’s foreign adversaries.
"This is not the first time we have seen foreign countries attempt to infiltrate our political process, and based on recent statements by the incoming President and his administration officials, I am worried this will not be the last. As we anxiously brace for the devastating implications of a second Trump presidency with a Republican-controlled Congress rubber stamping his every whim, it is vital that every American—regardless of party—remember that American national security must be placed above partisan politics. If this ordeal has taught us anything, it is that we must enact stronger guardrails to stop malicious foreign agents from influencing those at top levels of our government. To do that, we need accurate answers to the following questions before it is too late: How did not a single House Republican or their staff catch the significant inconsistencies and lies within Mr. Smirnov’s story in nearly two years of congressional investigations? And if they did indeed know Mr. Smirnov’s account was fraudulent, why did they allow it to guide their work and influence their judgement for so long?
"What this entire facade has proven is that if we are to effectively oversee the federal government, it is incumbent on us to oversee how we as members of Congress do our jobs—because the level of due diligence conducted by the Republican leadership these last two years has clearly failed the American people."