It has been noted that the ex-FBI informant busted for allegedly telling lies about President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden has been arrested after a judge initially released him on his recognizance pending trial via Mediaite.
Special Counsel David Weiss announced last Thursday that Alexander Smirnov — a key informant behind the Republican effort to impeach Biden over his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings — had been charged with lying to the FBI amid a slew of jaw-dropping revelations.
However, despite the accusations, Nevada Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts released Smirnov with a GPS monitor pending trial. Smirnov has been arrested again under a warrant from California Federal District Judge Otis Wright.
On Thursday’s edition of CNN’s The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer and Evan Perez broke the news:
BLITZER: There’s more breaking news we’re following right now. The former FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens has been rearrested.
I want to go to our senior justice correspondent, Evan Perez.
Evan, a judge had just released this former informant. So why was he rearrested?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that’s one of the things, Wolf, that is so strange about this case. The Justice Department obtained a new warrant for his arrest from the judge that is going to oversee this case eventually in Los Angeles, Alexander Smirnov is charged with lying to the FBI and falsifying documents.
But those charges are actually filed in Los Angeles. He was arrested in Las Vegas where that detention hearing happened just a couple of days ago and where that judge decided to release him, saying that the political ramifications and all the issues that the justice department had raised were not sufficient to keep him detained. I’ll read you just a part of what the lawyer said to us today.
He said: Despite Judge Albregts’s prior ruling, denial of the state request, and Mr. Smirnov’s prior release from custody on the morning of February 22. Mr. Smirnov was arrested for a second time on the same charges, and based on the same indictment, while he was meeting with his lawyers, Wolf.
So, that’s what the status at this moment. Just a few minutes ago, the judge in Las Vegas just issued an order for the Justice Department to respond to a request by Smirnov’s lawyers for an emergency hearing. So at this point, he’s going to be remained detained while this works itself out, Wolf.
BLITZER: Important development indeed. Evan, thank you very much.
