House Republicans have called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to clarify the scope of the investigations involving Hunter Biden and provide relevant documents in the wake of David Weiss being designated as special counsel.
Earlier this month, Mr. Weiss, who serves as the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, was appointed as special counsel after a plea agreement in the Hunter Biden case fell apart due to judicial scrutiny.
In a letter dated Aug. 28, GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Jason Smith (R-Miss.), and James Comer (R-Ky.) expressed concerns and posed questions about the DOJ’s handling of the Hunter Biden investigation to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The lawmakers specifically requested any new scope memos, directions, or instructions pertaining to Mr. Weiss’s appointment to be provided by Sept. 11.
“Now you have appointed as special counsel an individual who oversaw all the investigation’s irregularities, who spent the past two months claiming that he did not need special counsel status, and who was responsible for the plea agreement that collapsed in court and is widely viewed as an embarrassment for the Department.”
The letter points out the disintegration of the June plea deal for two tax-related misdemeanors and firearm possession by an “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” over its implications for further charges against Mr. Biden.
The lawmakers contend that Mr. Biden received preferential treatment from the DOJ due to his relation to President Joe Biden. IRS whistleblowers testified in a recent committee hearing that prosecutors deliberately delayed the investigation, suggesting that Mr. Biden should have faced more severe tax charges than the misdemeanors initially presented.
The letter also highlights claims made by DOJ insiders that Mr. Biden received privileges not available to others, including advance notice to his counsel about an upcoming storage unit search.
Additionally, it questions the timing of Mr. Weiss’s appointment, given that he had “ultimate” authority over the case prior to becoming special counsel.
“It is not clear why you have only now, after the investigation has been going on for five years, opted to appoint Mr. Weiss as special counsel, especially after you and the Department represented that Mr. Weiss already had ‘ultimate’ authority over the case,” the letter states.
The lawmakers assert that if Mr. Weiss had the authority he and Mr. Garland had previously claimed at a Senate Judiciary Committee in March, then there was “no reason” to appoint him as special counsel to “prosecute federal crimes in any federal judicial district arising from the investigation of these matters.”
Mr. Weiss was appointed after the two IRS whistleblowers criticized how the prosecutors handled the case. The whistleblowers, both IRS investigators, suggested that Mr. Weiss’s team found stronger evidence of tax crimes in California and Washington, D.C., but faced resistance in bringing charges outside their jurisdiction.
The letter addresses discrepancies between previous statements by both Mr. Garland and Mr. Weiss regarding Mr. Weiss’s authority, raising concerns of possible deviations from the initially declared approach. These statements indicated that Mr. Weiss held “ultimate” authority devoid of political influence to conduct the investigation as he saw fit.
“These deviations took place while Mr. Weiss, with the full support and backing of the Department, oversaw the Hunter Biden investigation as U.S. Attorney—prior to receiving special counsel status,” the letter states.
The letter also cites various departures from standard procedures during the investigation, including the suggestion to omit Hunter Biden’s name from documents, limitations on interviews, and delays in obtaining search warrants.
The letter also refers to news reports indicating Mr. Weiss’s potential “close and personal relationship” with Mr. Biden’s late brother, Beau, raising concerns about his impartiality.
Mr. Weiss had been supervising a five-year investigation into Mr. Biden, having been appointed by former President Donald Trump as Delaware’s U.S. attorney, and initiating the probe during his presidency.
