Detention hearing in ex-FBI informant's Biden lies criminal case spotlights Judge Otis Wright

Alexander Smirnov is accused of lying to federal agents about President Biden, including a lie that prosecutors said Monday stems from Russian disinformation.

U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II and his courtroom deputy clerk, Sheila English, outside the new Los Angeles federal courthouse on Nov. 6, 2023. (Photo by Meghann M. Cuniff)

An order last week from a federal judge in Los Angeles set the stage for a hearing many political watchers predicted would be anything but boring.

Lawyers for an ex-FBI informant…