U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the prosecutor investigating criminal allegations against Hunter Biden, was appointed as special counsel, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday.
“The appointment of Mr. Weiss reinforces for the American people the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday. “I am confident that Mr. Weiss will carry out his responsibility in an even-handed and urgent manner, and in accordance with the highest traditions of this department.”
Garland said Weiss would “continue to have the authority and the responsibility that he has previously exercised.”
An October 2022 email sent by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, released by his attorneys, revealed Weiss allegedly told a group of law enforcement officials he is “not the deciding person on whether charges are filed” in the Hunter Biden investigation.
“I believe this to be a huge problem—inconsistent with DOJ public position and Merrick Garland testimony,” Shapley wrote in the email to IRS Criminal Investigation division chief Michael Batdorf and Washington, D.C. field office Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon.
In a July letter to Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Weiss said he never requested special counsel designation and noted he has “never been denied the authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction.”
Hunter Biden recently pleaded not guilty to charges related to tax fraud, but the plea deal fell apart after Judge Maryellen Noreika shut down his plans for wide-ranging immunity from future prosecutions unrelated to the scope of the charges.
Biden has also been the subject of several Republican-led probes related to his foreign business dealings, most notably with Ukrainian gas giant Burisma and a Chinese energy firm tied to the country’s central bank. Republicans allege the dealings are part of an influence-peddling scheme to influence Hunter’s father, President Joe Biden.
According to testimony from former Hunter Biden associate Devon Archer, Joe Biden participated in over 20 calls with Hunter’s business associates, which the White House claims were benign. The elder Biden has also been photographed with one of Hunter’s business associates.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.