Comer now says indicted FBI informant 'wasn’t an important part of' Biden investigation

House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) is doing a full one-eighty in his assessment of the FBI informant whose now-debunked statements provided the foundation for his investigation into President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

The Daily Beast reported that Comer is now distancing himself from Alexander Smirnov — the 43-year-old discredited confidential informant now indicted for lying to the FBI — in the wake of reports that Smirnov had connections to Russian intelligence agencies.

"[Smirnov] wasn’t an important part of this investigation because I didn’t even know who he was," Comer said in a Wednesday interview with far-right network Newsmax. "All I knew was there was a 1023 [form] that alleged bribery."

READ MORE: 'Tale of the tape': These 10 Republicans brazenly touted indicted FBI informant before he was tried

The official X/Twitter account for Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee responded to Comer's comments by posting a video montage of Comer and other Republicans talking up the credibility of Smirnov's debunked claim that the Bidens supposedly solicited $10 million in bribes. Comer previously called Smirnov's statement in the 1023 form — which is used to document statements by confidential informants — "a very crucial piece of our investigation."

In addition to Comer, House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) defended his ongoing probe of the Bidens, saying that the new revelations about Smirnov don't change the "fundamental facts" of his committee's investigation. However, he did reluctantly admit to CNN congressional reporter Manu Raju on Wednesday that Smirnov lied to federal law enforcement.

Earlier this week, it was revealed in a court filing that Smirnov was in contact with "high-ranking" intelligence officials in Vladimir Putin's regime. That same filing alleged that Smirnov also lied about his finances, withdrawing more than $1.7 million from a bank account registered to "Avalon Group, Inc." between 2020 and 2022 despite telling the FBI he only had access to $1,500 in cash and roughly $5,000 in a checking account.

President Biden has called on Republicans to drop their efforts to impeach him after Smirnov's indictment, calling it "an outrageous effort from the beginning."

READ MORE: Jim Jordan concedes FBI informant lied about Bidens when confronted by CNN host

Watch the video of Comer's remarks below, or by clicking this link.