From Moscow with Lies: The GOP’s Role in Spreading Russian Disinformation
House Republicans Wasted Taxpayer Money on Impeachment Inquiries Based on Kremlin Lies
The House GOP's impeachment crusade against President Joe Biden, led by figures like Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan, have devolved into an embarrassing display of partisanship and disinformation. At the heart of their allegations was a debunked claim that, while vice president, Joe Biden accepted $5 million in bribes from Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company where his son Hunter served on the board. This initial accusation was floated by Andriy Derkach, a Russian intelligence agent (more on that in a bit), and later separately delivered by Alexander Smirnov—a longtime FBI informant with deep ties to oligarchs and Russian intelligence. Both individuals played key roles in spreading a fabricated story that has been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked.
Smirnov, a dual US-Israeli citizen, pleaded guilty and recently admitted in a court filing that the story he disseminated was not only false but also part of a broader disinformation operation. Federal prosecutors revealed that, after his arrest, Smirnov confessed that Russian intelligence officials had been involved in feeding him the fabricated lies.
Smirnov's indictment goes beyond mere scandal. It highlights a disturbing connection to Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns that have long targeted Biden and highlights how deeply entangled Republican efforts to discredit the president have become with Russian intelligence operations. Yet, despite mounting evidence that their impeachment case was built on lies, Comer and his GOP colleagues continued to press forward—wasting taxpayer dollars and amplifying Kremlin disinformation in the process.
This debacle is another example of how Republicans have become either unwitting or willing participants in Kremlin operations designed to destabilize American democracy and polarize the nation. Their reckless pursuit of power and money has undermined public trust and emboldened adversaries like Vladimir Putin.
As Comer and others double down on their discredited claims, Americans should ask: Why was taxpayer money allowed to be wasted on a partisan impeachment charade rooted in Kremlin lies meant to overthrow our democracy?
But This Isn’t New
Despite more than a decade of growing concerns, the GOP's troubling embrace of Russian disinformation and support became blatantly clear during the 2020 election. This pattern, which began with the Trump campaign's public collaboration with Russia in 2016, had by 2020 become deeply normalized.
By 2020, Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, worked closely with Russian agents like Andriy Derkach and Andrii Telizhenko to spread lies aimed at undermining Joe Biden’s candidacy. Derkach, later identified as an “active Russian agent,” played a key role in pushing disinformation about Biden and his family. Instead of distancing themselves from these foreign efforts, Republicans collected and amplified Moscow's propaganda, effectively again embracing foreign interference in U.S. politics. Derkach has since fled to Russia, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and was appointed to the Russian Senate continuing to run operations in the West.
During the 2020 election, Senator Ron Johnson, the former chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, also played a prominent role in promoting baseless conspiracy theories about Biden and Ukraine. Despite repeated warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies and bipartisan colleagues, Johnson continued to receive and amplify disinformation, demonstrating how Russia’s lies were weaponized for political manipulation.
And let’s not forget that in 2018, while Americans were celebrating the Fourth of July, Senator Johnson visited Moscow with a delegation of seven other members of Congress. The Moscow mules met with top Russian officials, including those under U.S. sanctions, marking the first congressional visit to Russia since its 2014 invasion of Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea and occupation of Donbas. This trip, scheduled just a month before Trump was set to meet Vladimir Putin, raised significant concerns about the GOP's ties to Moscow and its willingness to engage with the Kremlin despite its ongoing aggression in Ukraine and the 2016 attack on the U.S. election.
Coordinated Efforts
The actions of the Trump administration revealed significant ties between the GOP and Russian-backed disinformation. Figures close to Trump, including then-Attorney General William Barr, initiated covert investigations into claims regarding Ukraine and Biden, despite this information coming from Russia. These investigations, conducted through the Justice Department, allowed Rudy Giuliani to present and amplify disinformation fed to him by Russian intelligence, as he actively sought out Russia’s assistance in gathering damaging information about Joe Biden in the lead-up to the 2020 election, making several trips to meet with Russian agents to strategize.
Simultaneously, Senator Lindsey Graham said that Barr informed him the Justice Department had “created a process that Rudy could give information and they would see if it’s verified.” This “discreet assignment” to vet Giuliani’s claims became central to the investigation. In December 2019, during Trump’s impeachment, it was revealed that Trump had pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden. On January 3, 2020, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen instructed Brady, an official involved in the vetting process, to assess the information provided by Giuliani. Brady later testified that this was described internally as a “vetting process,” and he briefed Barr twice on its progress. Trump then demonstrated his willingness to weaponize the Department of Justice to advance his political agenda.
Another key player in Russia’s 2020 operations was Kash Patel, a dangerous nominee recently selected by Trump to lead the FBI. As a top aide to Rep. Devin Nunes and later a staffer on the National Security Council, Patel wielded undue influence over Trump’s views on Ukraine, despite his formal role being focused on counter-terrorism. Patel bypassed diplomatic processes, with Trump even calling him “one of his top Ukraine policy specialists,” despite his official duties having no connection to Ukraine.
Concerns grew when Fiona Hill testified that Patel was improperly involved in Ukraine policy, relaying information to Trump outside official channels. Politico reported that Patel was providing “out of scope” advice on Ukraine, highlighting the risks of his influence on U.S. policy.
Patel’s history of undermining U.S. interests and promoting foreign intelligence operations raises serious red flags about his ability to lead the FBI. Not to mention his threats to weaponize the agency against political opposition and the media—a tactic straight out of an authoritarian playbook.
A Dangerous Precedent and an Unchecked Threat
With Trump returning to power next month, the situation will become even more perilous. Under Trump, the GOP will likely become more emboldened, with no qualms about working with foreign intelligence services as long as it helps them maintain power and enrich themselves. Trump’s history of undermining investigations and hijacking government agencies to serve his political agenda, along with the GOP's complicity, makes it clear that the pattern of embracing the help of foreign actors, like Russia, to discredit opponents is deeply ingrained in their approach to power.