Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Wednesday said the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden has been effectively derailed by new revelations.
What Happened: Raskin (D-Md.), a leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, stated that the investigation “essentially ended yesterday” following the disclosure of Alexander Smirnov‘s connection with Russian intelligence.
"The impeachment investigation essentially ended yesterday, in substance if not in form, with the explosive revelation that Mr. Smirnov's allegations about Ukrainian Burisma payments to Joe Biden were concocted along with Russian intelligence agents," Raskin said.
Smirnov, a former FBI informant, had accused Biden and his son Hunter of receiving $5 million in suspicious payments from Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.
Smirnov was arrested the previous week for lying about these allegations. The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on Tuesday that Smirnov admitted that “officials associated with Russian intelligence” fabricated the claims.
This revelation has dealt a significant setback to Republicans leading the impeachment inquiry. Some Republicans had previously seen Smirnov’s accusations as a “smoking gun” against Biden.
Democrats argue that this development should lead to the termination of the investigation. Raskin commented that the whole scenario appears to be “a product of Russian disinformation and propaganda.”
"It appears like the whole thing is not only, obviously, false and fraudulent, but a product of Russian disinformation and propaganda," Raskin said.
"And that's been the motor force behind this investigation for more than a year."
However, Republicans have swiftly dismissed the idea of ending the investigation. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said that the DOJ’s new filing about Smirnov does not alter their investigation’s primary facts.
Why It Matters: The inquiry has been fueled by allegations of corruption and influence peddling within the Biden family’s business dealings, with Republicans claiming that the president was deeply involved in these affairs. President Biden’s brother James Biden testified in a GOP-led impeachment inquiry on Wednesday. He told the committee that Biden “never had any involvement” in the business dealings of other members of his family.
Raskin has repeatedly criticized the GOP's impeachment inquiry against Biden. Earlier last week, he raised concerns about the credibility of a crucial witness in the Republican-led impeachment inquiry. Raskin expressed doubts about the credibility of Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of the Biden family, and urged the Oversight Chairman to summon other Trump administration and campaign officials to verify any testimony provided by Bobulinski.
In September last year, he launched an offensive against Republican impeachment efforts targeting President Biden. He spearheaded a subpoena for Donald Trump‘s ally Rudy Giuliani to undermine the Republican-led impeachment inquiry, depicting the investigation as a scheme ignited by former President Trump.
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