House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has vowed to keep investigating the plea deal the Department of Justice (DOJ) reached with Hunter Biden following the appointment of David Weiss, the U.S. attorney who led the investigation, as special counsel on Friday.
Weiss’ appointment as special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden means he is not subject to supervision by the DOJ hierarchy, which is currently led by appointees of President Joe Biden, but may preclude Weiss from testifying before Congress before the investigation is complete. On Friday, McCarthy announced on Twitter, now known as X, that his conference will continue to investigate a since-abandoned plea deal that Hunter Biden reached with Weiss’ prosecutors that would have granted him immunity from criminal prosecution. (RELATED: Trial Likely In Hunter Biden Case After Plea Deal Falls Apart, Prosecutors Say)
“This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption,” McCarthy tweeted. He also questioned Weiss’ trustworthiness, writing that “[i]f Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?”
This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption.
If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?
House Republicans will continue to pursue…
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) August 11, 2023
After a multi-year investigation, Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor charges related to unpaid taxes and one felony charge concerning his possessing a firearm while being addicted to narcotics. That plea agreement was invalidated after a court hearing to approve the deal on July 27, where both parties could not agree on whether the deal would immunize Hunter Biden from further charges from ongoing investigations — such as under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) related to his international business dealings.
Biden later changed his plea to not guilty. After his appointment, Weiss filed two motions to vacate the deal in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. “The Government now believes that the case will not resolve short of a trial,” he wrote.
Weiss, the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware, appointed by then-President Donald Trump, was retained under the Biden administration to complete his investigation of Hunter Biden. He will serve in that role concurrently as special counsel, which allows him to bring charges in any district court across the United States.
Weiss’ appointment as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland prompted criticism from congressional Republicans and conservative commentators, who suggested that the Biden administration is trying to impede the congressional investigation.
“The problem with Garland’s announcement does not seem to expand the mandate from a narrow focus on Hunter as opposed to the broader Biden corruption scandal. The initial impact is to insulate Weiss from calls for testimony before Congress,” tweeted Jonathan Turley, the J.B. and Maurice Shapiro professor of Public Interest Law at The George Washington University.
“First, David Weiss said he didn’t have the power he needed and wanted special counsel status. Then, he said he had all the power he needs. Now, he gets special counsel status because he didn’t really have the power he needs? Something’s not right,” tweeted Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Apart from the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation of the plea deal, the House Oversight Committee is investigating allegations that officials at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and DOJ attempted to thwart the investigation.
Weiss’ office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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