Thirty Republican senators have written to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden’s dealings.
The letter references Garland’s request to keep politics out of the Justice Department and cites reports by Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that “very credible” whistleblowers have come forward to address a “widespread effort within the FBI ‘ to downplay or discredit negative information about Hunter Biden.’
The senators, which include Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, are calling on Garland to grant US Attorney David Weiss, who investigated President Joe Biden’s only surviving son, the powers to deal with the appointment as a special counsel.
The senators argue the designation would allow Weiss to “allow him to investigate a reasonable scope of potentially criminal conduct, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and provide additional assurances to the American people that the investigation into Hunter Biden will be free from political interference.” are”.
“This is an important step you can take to restore confidence in our government institutions,” the senators wrote.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has admitted to being investigated over his taxes but has denied any wrongdoing; no charges were brought against him; over the two men in August 2022 after going to Mass together during a Biden family vacation in South Carolina
Weiss was appointed lead investigator into Hunter Biden’s dealings during Donald Trump’s administration. He stayed and continued his work after Joe Biden was elected President.
Hunter Biden has admitted he is under investigation for his taxes but denies any guilt. He has not yet faced any federal charges.
The senators are indicting Hunter, who benefited financially from a “pay-to-play” culture in which he benefited from his father being a vice president under Barack Obama. They claim the president’s son is under investigation for “tax fraud, money laundering and foreign lobbying violations.”
The letter was spearheaded by McConnell, Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Grassley.
Under federal law, the Attorney General may appoint a special counsel when an investigation or prosecution of an individual by a U.S. Attorney’s office or the Justice Department “would create a conflict of interest for the Department or other extraordinary circumstances.”
Special Counsel status would give Congressional Democrats and Republicans more control over the Hunter Biden investigation.
It would also force Garland to explain to Congress any disagreements he had with Weiss, or any arguments he had with him over recommendations, up to and including a recommendation to indict Hunter Biden on federal crimes.
Hunter Biden’s criminal defense attorney, Christopher Clark, did not respond to CNBC when he asked for comment. Neither did the voice actors of Garland and Weiss.
Meanwhile, President Biden defended his son during an interview with 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night.
He said his son’s foreign dealings did not conflict with Biden’s previous position as vice president under Barack Obama.
“I love my number one son,” Biden said. “He battled an addiction problem and overcame it, he wrote about it.”
“And no, I have observed absolutely nothing that would affect me or the United States in relation to my son Hunter.”
Republican senators urge Attorney General Merrick Garland (left) to grant special attorney powers to US Attorney David Weiss (right).
President Joe Biden was asked if his son Hunter Biden could face political liability if the president enters the 2024 campaign during a lengthy interview on 60 Minutes
The case against Hunter Biden is set to heat up.
Sources told CNN that prosecutors were weighing whether to press charges, but also disregarded Justice Department guidelines advising against bringing potentially politically charged cases to the fore so close to an election.
Grassley, a Republican Senator from Iowa, has taken the lead to keep Hunter Biden’s feet in the fire for the GOP.
President Biden’s son was a political catnip during the 2020 presidential election and a frequent target of taunts from Donald Trump during the campaign. “Where’s Hunter?” the then-president asked to a roar of approval from his MAGA supporters.
In July, Grassly kept the FBI and Justice Department’s feet under fire on Hunter Biden, urging authorities to answer claims by a whistleblower that they downplayed negative information about the president’s son in the run-up to the 2020 election.
Grassley revealed at the time that “highly credible” whistleblowers came forward, alleging a widespread effort within the FBI to discredit negative information about Hunter Biden.
“The information provided to my office raises concerns regarding the FBI’s receipt and use of derogatory information regarding Hunter Biden and the FBI’s misrepresentation of acquired evidence as disinformation,” Grassley wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick garland
“The scale and consistency of these allegations reinforces their credibility and warrants this letter,” he noted.
Grassley, the senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that oversees the agencies, says the whistleblower alleges this was a “plot” among some FBI officials to “undermine derogatory information related to Hunter” by falsely reporting it label as disinformation.
And he claims it all happened in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
In October 2020, a month before the election, “an avenue of disparaging reporting on Hunter Biden was shut down,” Grassley claims, by a senior FBI agent at the FBI’s Washington field office.
‘[T]The allegations presented to my office appear to indicate that certain FBI officials had a plan to undermine derogatory information related to Hunter Biden by falsely suggesting it was disinformation,” Grassley wrote.
His letter came after revelations that the federal investigation into Hunter Biden has reached a “critical juncture” and investigators are weighing whether to indict the president’s son.
The Delaware Department of Justice’s investigation has intensified in recent weeks over whether to seek charges of tax violations or making false statements about the purchase of a gun, sources told CNN.
Hunter would have been barred from buying a gun at the time because of his well-documented struggles with drug addiction.
President Biden has denied any knowledge of his son’s dealings, and the White House has said it will stay out of a Justice Department investigation involving Hunter.
Republicans are expected to scrutinize Hunter’s deals when they regain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
The FBI and the IRS’s Criminal Division are among the agencies involved in moving the investigation, and there has also been debate over whether his past drug abuse might weaken their case, CNN reported.
Hunter could argue that he was unaware of his actions because he was high on drugs.
The probe is a political hot potato for Garland.
The Justice Department has an unwritten rule to avoid bringing politically sensitive cases within 60 days of an election, officials have found.
But Garland would be charged with Democratic favoritism if he restrains Hunter, with some officials arguing the rule doesn’t apply because Joe Biden’s name isn’t on the midterm election that determines which party controls Congress.
Earlier this summer, revealed a 2018 voicemail recording of young Biden’s hard drive showing the president knew about the deals.
Joe Biden called Hunter on December 12, 2018 and said he wanted to speak to him after reading a New York Times story about Hunter’s dealings with Chinese oil giant CEFC.
There are reports that the federal investigation into Hunter Biden is intensifying
Investigators were reportedly looking into allegations that Hunter (left) used his father, President Joe Biden (right), to secure business deals and lobby abroad
During a July 5 White House news briefing, Biden’s spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, declined to comment on the voicemail to reporters.
“I will not be discussing alleged materials from the laptop from this podium,” Jean-Pierre repeatedly retaliated when asked.
Pressing further on the content of the voicemail and whether the administration is being open with the American people, she said, “I cannot comment on any materials from the laptop.”
Files on Hunter’s abandoned laptop, previously disclosed and verified by , show he struck a multi-million dollar deal with the Chinese company after touting his family connections.
The 2018 Times story pointed out that CEFC chairman Ye Jianming had been arrested in China and its top lieutenant Patrick Ho convicted in the US for bribing African officials to help Iran pass oil sanctions evade.
It revealed Ye had met with Hunter at a Miami hotel in 2017 to discuss “a partnership to invest in American infrastructure and energy deals.”
The Times reported that when Ho was arrested, he called Joe’s brother, Jim Biden – who told the newspaper he believed the call was meant for Hunter.
The newspaper said it was “unclear if Hunter Biden had any dealings with CEFC” as he was unaware at the time of the depth of his ties to his Chinese business partners.
After seeing the story online, Joe Hunter called and left a voicemail.
“Hey buddy, it’s dad. It’s Wednesday evening at 8:15 p.m. Just give me a call when you get a chance. Nothing urgent. I just wanted to talk to you,’ he said.
“I liked the article published online, which will be printed in the Times tomorrow. i think you are clear And anyway, if you have the opportunity, call me, I love you.”
Angelique Boyer and Sebastian Rulli
