Ex-FBI informant accused of lying about Bidens agrees to plead guilty to federal charges

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI informant accused of falsely claiming that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepted bribes has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges, according to court papers filed Thursday.

As part of the plea deal with Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, Alexander Smirnov will admit he fabricated that the story that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

The plea agreement comes just weeks after prosecutors filed new tax evasion charges against Smirnov. The two sides will recommend a sentence of at least two years behind bars and no more than six years, according to the agreement.

David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, attorneys for Smirnov, said they will make their case for a fair sentence in court and declined to comment further.