In the latest development regarding tax and firearm charges against President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that David Weiss was appointed as a special counsel.
“A special counsel is an attorney appointed to investigate, and possibly prosecute, a case in which the Justice Department perceives itself as having a conflict or where it’s deemed to be in the public interest to have someone outside the government come in and take responsibility for a matter,” according to the Associated Press.
The United States Attorney for the District of Delaware filed charges in June. While a plea deal was initially announced, that deal fell apart in late July.
Garland said that Weiss, a career prosecutor, was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware after being nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2018. Trump is gearing up to potentially run against the current president in 2024, though he has legal issues of his own, including three indictments this year.
Weiss has been investigating allegations of criminal conduct against Hunter Biden since 2019, according to Garland. He was asked to lead the investigation in 2021 and on Tuesday, he advised Garland that he should continue work on the investigation as special counsel. Garland agreed that it was in the public interest to appoint Weiss.
“That investigation has been recently referenced in federal criminal proceedings in the District of Delaware,” the attorney general explained.
“And, as noted in those proceedings and other public statements by Mr.
Weiss’ office, that investigation remains ongoing.”
As special counsel, Weiss has been granted ultimate authority over the investigation. That means he has the responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges against the president’s son and “for making decisions necessary to preserve the integrity of any prosecution,” consistent with government policy.
“Consistent with the Special Counsel regulations, at the conclusion of Mr. Weiss’ work, he will provide me with a report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions reached by him,” said Garland. “As with each Special Counsel who has served since I have taken office, I am committed to making as much of his report public as possible, consistent with legal requirements and Department policy.”
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