In May 2023, Senator Charles E. Grassley, a leading adversary of President Biden, made a surprising announcement on the Senate floor. He revealed that he had discovered a document in the possession of the F.B.I. that could potentially expose a “criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden.” Senator Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, insinuated that there was a single document that could confirm serious corruption allegations against Mr. Biden, suggesting that the F.B.I. was involved in a cover-up.
Over the following months, Senator Grassley’s efforts to publicize this allegation, detailed in an obscure document known as an F.B.I. Form 1023, became a central focus of the growing Republican movement to impeach President Biden as retaliation for how Democrats treated former President Trump. The core of this accusation was the unproven claim that Mr. Biden had accepted a $5 million bribe from an executive of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma.
Despite warnings from F.B.I. officials cautioning them to be wary of the unverified accusation, Senator Grassley and other Republicans continued to amplify the claims in various settings and media outlets. The source of the allegation, Alexander Smirnov, was indicted by a federal grand jury in California for fabricating the story to influence the 2020 presidential campaign against Mr. Biden.
Even after the truth about the fabricated allegations came to light, Republicans downplayed their previous statements and shifted blame to F.B.I. and Justice Department officials for misleading them about the credibility of the source. Despite these revelations, some Republicans continued to push the impeachment narrative based on unsubstantiated claims.
In the aftermath of the indictment, Democrats called for an end to the impeachment inquiry, criticizing the F.B.I. for releasing the unverified Form 1023. Republicans, however, chose to pivot rather than admit they had exaggerated the evidence. Senator Grassley’s office denied promoting the allegations, stating that he had only questioned the F.B.I.’s investigation into the claims. Senator Grassley’s spokeswoman considered it a partial victory, claiming that the senator had pressured the F.B.I. to…
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