Judge rules against release of ex-FBI informant who made up Biden bribery story

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, left, walks out of his lawyer’s office in downtown Las Vegas after being released from federal custody in February 2024 (AP)

A federal judge has denied the US government’s request to release a jailed former FBI informant who made up a story about president Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepting bribes, which became central to Republicans’ impeachment effort.

The decision, issued on Wednesday by US District Judge Otis Wright in Los Angeles, comes weeks after a new prosecutor reassigned to Alexander Smirnov’s case jointly filed a motion with his lawyers asking for his release while he appeals his conviction.