How clean is the dirt on Hunter Biden? A key Republican source is charged with lying to the FBI

By BRIAN SLODYSKO, ERIC TUCKER and ANTHONY McCARTNEY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — An FBI informant who was once held up by Republicans as a credible source of information about Hunter Biden now finds himself charged with lying to federal authorities. Alexander Smirnov is accused of fabricating a tale of bribery and espionage involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and a Ukrainian energy company. Smirnov also claims to have ties to Russian intelligence operatives. An Associated Press investigation into Smirnov details a businessman who operated a string of murky shell companies, ran with others who’ve been accused of fraud and boasted of his own ties to the FBI. His lawyers say inquiries about Smirnov’s past business dealings “only deflect from the important question of the accuracy of his prosecution.”