Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant charged with making false statements about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, was taken into custody in Las Vegas after a meeting at his lawyers' offices. Smirnov, who claims to have Russian intelligence links, was initially released by a judge with a GPS monitor, but prosecutors appealed the ruling and he was arrested again on Thursday morning.

Prosecutors revealed that Smirnov had contacts with Russian intelligence-affiliated officials and had admitted to passing a story about Hunter Biden. They argued that he should remain behind bars while awaiting trial, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts allowed him to be released on electronic GPS monitoring. Smirnov, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship, is accused of falsely telling the FBI that executives with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015.

Smirnov's claims have been central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress, sparking investigations into President Biden and his family. Democrats have called for an end to the probe following Smirnov's indictment, while Republicans have distanced themselves from his allegations and vowed to continue investigating. Hunter Biden is expected to give a deposition next week in connection to the case.

Smirnov's defense attorney, David Chesnoff, stated that he looks forward to defending his client at trial. Smirnov has only had routine business dealings with Burisma since 2017 and prosecutors allege that he made the bribery allegations out of bias against Joe Biden while he was a presidential candidate. The White House has not commented on the situation. Prosecutors also revealed that Smirnov had planned to meet with a Russian official during an upcoming overseas trip.

The charges against Smirnov were filed in Los Angeles, where he lived for 16 years before moving to Las Vegas two years ago. His arrest and the ongoing investigation have added fuel to the political fire surrounding President Biden and his family, with both sides of the aisle reacting to the developments. Hunter Biden's deposition next week is expected to shed further light on the case.