Hi everyone it is 4 o'clock here in New York I'm Elisi Menendez in for

Nicole Wallace a man who has lived his life out of the public eye with no

presence online, no photos save for one of him covering his face as he walked out of

court is at the center of a political firestorm. As the Justice Department and attorneys for former FBI informant Alexander Smyernov

spar over keeping him in custody, with DOJ calling him a, quote,

serious flight risk. Top Republicans are facing questions today

about just how the claims of someone with ties to Russian intelligence became the

basis for an impeachment inquiry into the president.

The New York Times reports this about Smyrnov.

For more than a decade, he played a double game,

giving the FBI tantalizing visibility

into a cast of oligarchs and public officials while offering himself as a consultant

with a hard-to-define skill set to some of the same people he was keeping tabs on.

Then he stepped over the line.

In 2020 Mr. Smyrnaov told his FBI handlers what prosecutors say was a brazen lie.

That the oligarch owner of the Ukrainian Energy Company, Barisma,

had arranged to pay $5 million in bribes. and was leaked to Republicans who made Mr Smyrnov's allegations a centerpiece of their now

stalled effort to impeach President Biden, apparently without verifying the allegation.

And there were plenty of red flags.

Take a listen to GOP Congressman Ken Buck.

We were warned at the time that we received the document

outlining this witness's testimony. We were warned that the

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