In a shocking turn of events, an FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, who provided allegations at the center of the Republican case against President Joe Biden, has been indicted for lying to the bureau about the president and his son Hunter Biden for political purposes. Congressional Republicans, who had touted Smirnov's false statements as crucial evidence in their impeachment inquiry, are now dealing with the aftermath.

Smirnov, a 43-year-old FBI informant who had been working with the bureau since 2010, is facing two felony counts: making a false statement to a government agent and falsification of records in a federal investigation. He was arrested at the Las Vegas airport upon returning from an international flight.

House Republicans had even threatened to hold the director of the FBI in contempt last year to obtain the underlying documents related to Smirnov's allegations. The documents were eventually released, stirring up conservative media outlets with false headlines about the Bidens receiving $5 million in bribes.

Just weeks ago, Rep. Jim Jordan, a leading House Republican, pointed to Smirnov's alleged lies as their strongest evidence. However, with the informant now indicted, House Republicans are claiming that these allegations were not as central to their inquiry as previously believed.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer stated that the impeachment case against President Biden "is not reliant on the FBI's FD-1023," acknowledging that the document contained lies. He further claimed that the case is based on a broader record of evidence, including bank records and witness testimony. However, firm evidence of President Biden's involvement in his son's business dealings has yet to be presented by the committee.

The saga began last year when Rep. Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley publicly claimed that a whistleblower had alleged a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national. The FBI initially declined to release the requested document, cautioning that it did not validate the information. Eventually, a redacted version of the document was made available to select members of Congress, leading to GOP members making unsubstantiated claims about Biden's guilt.

The indictment of the informant has sent shockwaves through Republican circles, with some questioning the legitimacy of the Biden administration. Additionally, the spokesman for Sen. Grassley demanded that all underlying evidence supporting the Justice Department's case be made public.

The House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jordan, responded to the indictment by sharing a transcript of an interview with former U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Brady, who had displayed "unbecoming" behavior according to a Justice Department watchdog, refused to confirm whether he believed President Biden was the legitimate president.

As the fallout from Smirnov's indictment unfolds, the Republican investigation into Hunter Biden and the president has expanded to include various allegations such as business dealings with foreign governments and interference in IRS investigations. The validity of the claim that President Biden called for the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor to protect his son's business interests has also been widely debunked.

The Biden administration now faces the task of addressing the aftermath of this indictment, while Republicans reassess their evidence and approach in their ongoing inquiry.