Overview
- Mother Jones, as cited in new reports, says the administration is working to help the convicted ex-FBI informant avoid his sentence or a trial.
- The New Republic reports that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a March 4 brief supporting Smirnov’s effort to withdraw his plea and vacate the sentence.
- In 2025, the Justice Department joined a motion to release Smirnov pending appeal, which Judge Otis Wright rejected in April, according to the reporting.
- Smirnov admitted in 2024 that he lied to federal agents about Joe and Hunter Biden and received a six-year sentence on January 8, 2025.
- Prosecutors say he was paid $600,000 by Economic Transformation Technologies, whose owners include two Trump associates, and the DOJ has declined public comment on whether it will back his appeal or renew prosecution.