Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 | 2 a.m.
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Another day, another bombshell claim shown to be little more than a brazen lie thrust upon the American people by a political party without decency, integrity or honor.
On Thursday, FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was charged with fabricating a story that President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, sought $5 million in bribes from a Ukrainian energy company. The 37-page indictment also indicates that Smirnov was motivated by politics and a desire to undercut Biden’s electability.
The charges were filed by special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed to the U.S. Attorney’s office by former President Donald Trump and was once described by Trump as sharing his “vision for ‘Making America Safe Again.’ ” Weiss’ role in the investigation undermines any claims of bias and underscores the integrity and impartiality of the decision to file charges against Smirnov.
Moreover, the indictment severely undercuts the GOP’s narrative of corruption in the Biden White House and is a stunning blow to a Republican election strategy built on lies, rumors, innuendo and conspiracy designed to mislead the public at every turn.
The GOP spent years quietly spreading rumors about “the Biden crime family.” Long before Smirnov’s fabricated allegations of bribery, Joe Biden faced a never-ending barrage of baseless allegations aimed at undermining his credibility and legitimacy.
Ranging from election fraud to the highly disturbing “Pizzagate,” the GOP has weaponized misinformation for years to sow doubt and division among the American public.
The fabricated story involving Ukraine and bribery is just one instance of this ongoing campaign of disinformation. It didn’t matter that the claims were baseless or that Smirnov provided absolutely no evidence to support his allegations. The story breathed new life into the GOP misinformation machine, and Republicans were all-too happy to spread the lies without question.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, repeatedly ignored the FBI’s warning about Smirnov’s lack of evidence, telling Comer and the Trump campaign that the claims did not merit further investigation. The FBI specifically noted that Smirnov was unable to establish that he was even in the same cities where the alleged bribery took place, let alone in the room with the son of the then-vice president of the United States.
Yet none of that stopped Comer from demanding that the files pertaining to the accusation be unsealed and made available to GOP members of Congress. Comer even threatened to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt if he did not disclose details and documents related to the accusations. Then, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released a copy of an FBI record that included the false allegation to the media and the public. It was a multistep strategy to make the story stick and part of a larger tapestry of falsehoods woven by the GOP to undermine Joe Biden’s credibility and legitimacy, erode trust in democratic institutions and manipulate public opinion to serve its own interests.
Given this history, voters should seriously question the credibility of allegations leveled recently by special counsel Robert Hur in the classified documents inquiry against President Biden.
After months of investigation, Hur released a report this month that exonerated Biden of criminal charges related to the documents but broke with decades of Justice Department policy and practice by including a lengthy section explaining Hur’s personal opinion on Biden’s mental health.
It should be noted that Hur is not a psychiatrist, psychologist or any other type of mental health practitioner. He is, however, a registered Republican whose mentor, former far-right 9th Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski, once wrote a treatise on the importance of bald-faced lies to the functioning of a free society.
The erosion of truth exemplified by the current Republican Party should be rejected by voters of all political stripes. It breeds confusion, polarization and mistrust among citizens, hinders constructive dialogue, throws grenades into civil society and makes finding common ground and shared values increasingly rare.
It’s all well and good to be engaged and informed citizens of democracy. But it’s far more difficult to discern the truth or facts of a situation when the people empowered with investigating the truth, determining the facts and making critical decisions about what information to share or legislate on are engaged in an active campaign of disinformation.
Holding accountable those who propagate lies and fabrications is just as important to preserving the integrity of public discourse and restoring faith in democratic principles as being a vigilant consumer of information.
The case of Smirnov’s fabricated allegations against Biden serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of political bias and the importance of upholding honesty and integrity in our political discourse.
Smirnov will be held accountable for his crimes. But he is just the tip of the iceberg. And, as Kozinski explained in his treatise, lying is not usually a crime, even when those lies have the power to shape an election.
Absent criminal prosecution, the only tool of accountability we have is at the ballot box, where we can vote GOP liars and scoundrels out of office.Only then can we hope that the pursuit of truth will prevail over partisan agendas and political expediency. Only by upholding the principles of honesty, transparency and integrity can we safeguard the foundations of democracy and ensure a brighter future for generations to come.
