False bribery claim against President Joe Biden

SOURCE www.newyorker.com
Federal prosecutors revealed that the claim of Biden and his son receiving a five-million-dollar bribe from a Ukrainian energy company was invented by a longtime FBI informant who admitted to passing along bad information from officials associated with Russian intelligence. This effectively ended one of Donald Trump's hopes for impeaching President Joe Biden.

Key Points

  • The false bribery claim against Biden was made by a longtime FBI informant who later admitted to spreading lies given to him by Russian spies.
  • The claim was used by Republicans pursuing impeachment of President Biden but was debunked by federal prosecutors.
  • House Republicans continued with a formal impeachment investigation of Biden even after the false claim was revealed.
  • The FBI informant, Smirnov, is now being charged with lying to the government and spreading new lies potentially impacting U.S. elections.
  • The saga highlights the dangers of spreading misinformation and the impact of partisan politics on investigations.