There remain some unanswered questions about the Hunter Biden investigation and the “sweetheart” plea he will receive on tax and gun charges.
Republicans in the House of Representatives are pushing to question the officials behind the decision-making, while the prosecutor leading the investigation is reticent about the details.
And a letter from US Attorney David Weiss questions whether Attorney General Merrick Garland lied to Congress when he testified that Weiss had “full authority” to indict Hunter Biden in “other jurisdictions.”
An IRS whistleblower said Weiss was blocked by US attorneys in Washington DC and central California from bringing charges against President Joe Biden’s son – despite Garland’s words.
However, Weiss said he would have been given the authority, although questions remain, if he ever asked for it.
But Weiss also denied Republican demands for documents and records related to the interaction between the DOJ and the IRS in the Hunter Biden case.
Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to testify before Congress about the Hunter Biden investigation
The Hunter Biden investigation has been a political burden on Biden’s White House since the President took office.
Republicans are investigating whether Weiss had the powers the attorney general claimed he had as part of their investigation into what they call the “weaponization” of the Justice Department.
Hunter Biden has since struck a deal with Weiss and his team, but many questions remain, including:
- Has Weiss asked US Attorneys in the Central District of California and Washington DC to assume prosecution in the Hunter case, or to authorize Weiss or members of his Delaware team to pursue charges in that district?
- Was Weiss planning to file charges in California or DC as the IRS whistleblower claimed?
- Has Wiess applied for special prosecutor status with the Attorney General to assist him in his investigation into Hunter Biden?
- Will the Justice Department release correspondence between Weiss and US attorneys on the case?
- Does Hunter’s plea deal end the criminal investigation, or is there more investigation to come?
- Was Joe Biden involved in Hunter’s business dealings?
- When will Weiss and Garland testify before Congress?
Both Weiss, who was appointed US Attorney in Delaware by Donald Trump, and Garland, Biden’s nominee to run the Justice Department, are both expected to testify before Congress at some point — likely after the July 26 trial in Wilmington, at which Hunter will plead guilty to two misdemeanors related to filing federal income taxes and avoiding charges on his gun purchase.
Joan Meyer, a former federal prosecutor who is now a partner at law firm Thompson Hine, told : “I don’t know if we’ll ever find out what really happened, but it casts additional doubts in the eyes of the American public. ‘ about the way the DOJ does business. And the DOJ cannot afford to be more suspicious.”
David Weiss, the Trump-appointed US Attorney for Delaware, has denied claims that his investigation was directed by a Biden-appointed Washington DC official
The White House announced that President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are supporting their son Hunter; the trio are pictured above with Hunter’s son Beau on July 4th
Questions about the extent of Weiss’ authority were raised after IRS agent Gary Shapely, a whistleblower, claimed that Weiss attempted to press charges against Hunter Biden in Washington DC, but it was from Matthew Graves, a top federal prosecutor appointed by Biden by DC, has been blocked.
Weiss denied this.
“I have been given supreme authority in this case, including the responsibility to determine where, when and if charges will be brought and to make decisions necessary to uphold the integrity of the charges,” Weiss wrote in his April 30 letter June.
Weiss explained that his prosecution authority as US Attorney for Delaware is normally “geographically limited to that county” — but said Garland has promised to grant him special counsel status to bring charges anywhere.
Federal law requires federal criminal proceedings to take place in the county where the crimes were committed. Hunter Biden resided in Washington DC and California at the time of his tax crimes.
That means Weiss would need the cooperation of the Central District of California and Washington DC to bring charges there.
Shapley said Weiss was denied that permission. In a June interview with Fox News, he described an Oct. 7, 2022 meeting with senior IRS and FBI officials about the Hunter case.
“I was there and witnessed that personally,” Shapley said, noting that Weiss initially said, “He’s not the person who decides whether charges will be filed or not.”
IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley alleged that Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss told him he had no jurisdiction to decide whether or not Hunter Biden would face federal charges — and that an attorney appointed by Joe Biden made the call
Shapley claimed the final decision was made by officials in Washington DC. He mentioned Weiss’ March 2022 meeting with Matthew Graves, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia appointed by President Joe Biden.
“After that happened, he had no intention of attacking,” Shapley said.
Shapley noted that Weiss said he applied for special counsel powers of attorney, but was denied.
“I even had him repeat that because I knew how important that fact was and I wanted to make sure I understood it,” he noted.
Shapley said he even documented the details of the meeting in an email, noting that the email was in the hands of House investigators.
Republicans urged Weiss to clarify his authority, citing both Shapley’s email and Garland stating that Weiss had full authority.
Garland had said, “As I said at the outset, Mr. Weiss was appointed US Attorney in Delaware by President Trump and served on this matter during the previous administration.”
Garland said that Weiss was permitted “to proceed with his investigation and to make a determination to pursue prosecution in any manner and in any district in which he chooses.” Mr. Weiss has since had a letter to the House Justice sent confirming that he has that authority.
“I don’t see how anyone would be able to stop him from pursuing a prosecution given that he has that power,” he said in June.
He claimed that Weiss never applied for appointment as a special prosecutor.
‘Mister. “Weiss actually had more authority than a special counsel would have.”
“He was given full authority to make all decisions himself,” he noted.
“Some have chosen to attack the integrity of the Justice Department by alleging that we do not treat cases equally.” “This is an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy,” Garland said.
Letter dated June 30 from David Weiss to Republicans in the House of Representatives
Weiss stated that he did not seek permission from either California or Washington, but said he received it.
“If venue for my case is elsewhere, the Department’s standard practice is to contact the U.S. Attorney for that district and determine if they would like to cooperate on the case,” he wrote to House Republicans.
“If not, I can apply to the Attorney General for special prosecutor status,” he added, saying he had assurances that he would be granted that status “in the District of Columbia, in the central district of California, or in any other county where the prosecution.” levied, would be granted.’ could be raised in this matter.’
The letter comes more than a week after Hunter Biden, 53, reached an agreement with the government to plead guilty to tax crimes.
The settlement would also avoid prosecution for illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user as long as Hunter Biden complies with the terms agreed at the July 26 court hearing.
Weiss announced the plea agreement, noting that he charged Hunter in connection with the 2018 purchase of a handgun, but said he will not be pursuing the charges as part of a two-year pre-trial diversionary program.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly said he had nothing to do with Hunter’s business dealings, and the White House has said it is staying out of any Justice Department investigation.
The White House said in a statement that the President and First Lady “love their son and support him as he continues to build his life.” We will have no further comment.’
Hunter Biden will appear in federal court on July 26 for his plea bargain
The investigation into Hunter Biden was initiated by the Trump Justice Department in 2018 and eventually turned over to Weiss.
In his June 30 letter to Republicans in the House of Representatives, Weiss also dismissed claims that the Justice Department “retaliated” against Shapley and another whistleblower who criticized his handling of the Hunter Biden investigation in testimony before Congress.
Weiss also rejected blanket Republican demands for documents and records related to the interaction between the DOJ and the IRS in the Hunter Biden case.
“I have a duty to protect confidential law enforcement information and advisory communications related to the case.” As such, I will not provide specific information related to the Hunter Biden investigation at this time,” he wrote.
“In due course, I welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues in more detail with the committee and to answer questions related to the whistleblower allegations in accordance with the law and department policy,” he added.