Republicans are pressing for details regarding a discredited FBI informant whose allegations were central to their investigation into President Joe Biden.

Alexander Smirnov, an FBI source for 14 years, was recently charged with providing false statements to agents. Prosecutors revealed that he concocted false claims alleging that a Ukrainian energy firm had paid bribes to Hunter Biden and his father.

Lawmakers expressed concerns about the FBI's vetting process for confidential sources in light of Smirnov's charges. In a letter addressed to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Republican congressmen Jim Jordan and James Comer, chairs of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, requested documents detailing the informant's vetting and compensation.

Smirnov's testimony played a crucial role in the Republicans' ongoing impeachment investigation initiated last year. The lawmakers highlighted that the FBI only scrutinized Smirnov after he reported that President Joe Biden received a bribe from a Ukrainian energy company to influence the removal of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General.

The FBI had previously characterized the informant as "highly credible" and warned that releasing his information would jeopardize Americans' safety, according to the lawmakers.

Jordan and Comer set a deadline of March 15 for the FBI to furnish documents regarding any potential misconduct or inaccuracies related to Smirnov. They also requested documents concerning the FBI's investigation into the bribery allegations involving Biden.

Prosecutors allege that Smirnov, aged 43, falsely asserted that a Burisma executive informed him in 2015 or 2016 that the company had paid the Bidens up to $5 million in bribes.

The FBI initially rejected lawmakers' requests to turn over documents related to the claim, arguing it would reveal their confidential source.

Eventually, some lawmakers were allowed to review the record, which they used as central evidence in their impeachment trial against Mr Biden.

Mr Smirnov was indicted in February on charges of making a false statement and creating a fictitious record, with prosecutors alleging he did not meet the Burisma executive until years after he had claimed.

He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in jail. Prosecutors asked that Mr Smirnov be held without bail, citing alleged "extensive" contacts with Russian intelligence agencies.

Mr. Comer and Mr. Jordan claimed his arrest "raises even greater concerns about abuse and mismanagement in the FBI's" confidential source program.

The letter comes after Republicans released a transcript of testimony from Hunter Biden before the House Oversight Committee. The party has accused President Biden of being improperly involved in his son's foreign business dealings.

The 229 pages of testimony offered few new insights. Hunter Biden focused on defending his father.

"For more than a year, your committees have hunted me in your partisan political pursuit of my dad," he said in opening statements.

"You have trafficked in innuendo, distortion, and sensationalism, all the while ignoring the clear and convincing evidence staring you in the face: You do not have evidence to support the baseless and MAGA-motivated conspiracies about my father because there isn't any."

Noted