'We were warned': GOP rep says Smirnov indictment 'really undercuts' impeachment efforts

Efforts by House Republicans to impeach President Joe Biden have gone from bad to worse.

First, ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov — touted by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) as his star witness — was arrested for allegedly lying to the FBI. Then came reports that Smirnov had connections to Russian intelligence agencies.

Conservative Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colorado) discussed these impeachment efforts during a Thursday, February 22 appearance on CNN — and unlike Comer or House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), he candidly acknowledged that they aren't going well.

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When CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Buck if he ever thought House Republicans' impeachment campaign would "collapse in this spectacular of a fashion," Buck responded that Smirnov's credibility was suspect from the get-go.

Buck told Collins, "We were warned at the time that we received the document outlining this witness' testimony — we were warned that the credibility of this statement was not known. And yet, people — my colleagues — went out and talked to the public about how this was credible, and how it was damning. And how it proved President Biden's — at the time, Vice President Biden's — complicity in receiving bribes. It appears to absolutely be false and to really undercut the nature of the charges."

The GOP congressman, who isn't seeking reelection in 2024, added, "We've always been seeking a link between what Hunter Biden received in terms of money and Joe Biden's activities, or Joe Biden receiving money. This clearly is not a credible link at this point."

READ MORE: 'Deserves more coverage': Fox News host slams network over GOP's lying impeachment witness

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