U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the prosecutor investigating criminal allegations against Hunter Biden, was appointed as special counsel, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday.
Weiss advised Garland on Tuesday that the ongoing investigation had “reached the stage” where he should continue as a special counsel, according to Garland.
Weiss will continue to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware.
“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.”
In the news: Rep. Greg Steube Files Articles Of Impeachment Against President Biden For High Crimes, Misdemeanors
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.
In the news: Prosecutors Say Trial Likely In Hunter Biden Case, Trump Camp Responds To Special Counsel
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 Hunter’s business associates.
In July, Hunter Biden admitted in court that a businessman linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had been his business partner, according to a transcript shared by the Republican House Oversight Committee.
Biden testified that Ye Jianming, former chairman of CEFC Energy, had been his business partner when asked by the court, transcripts state.
The House Oversight Committee has alleged that Ye sought to cultivate a relationship with the Biden family. and towards that end, wired millions of dollars to Hunter Biden’s businesses and associates through a complex laundering scheme.
In the news: Conservatives Celebrate Collapse Of Hunter Biden ‘Sweetheart’ Plea Deal
“The fourth paragraph says during the calendar year 2017, you earned substantial income including just under a million dollars from a company you formed with a CEO of a Chinese business conglomerate. Is that the same or a different Chinese company from the one you referenced earlier?” Judge Maryellen Noreika asked Hunter Biden.
“I started a company called Hudson West, Your Honor, and my partner was associated with a Chinese energy company called CEFC,” Hunter Biden replied.
“Who was your partner?” Noreika asked.
“I don’t know how to spell his name, Yi Jianming, is the chairman of that company,” Hunter Biden said.
In June, Hunter Biden was charged with illegally possessing a handgun, and was also charged with failing to pay federal taxes in 2017 and 2018. Although he pleaded not guilty on Wednesday,
Noreika refused the plea deal Hunter Biden’s legal team had struck with the Department of Justice, citing concerns about “broad immunity” after the pretrial diversion agreement included immunity from a host of other charges unrelated to the plea deal.
In May 2023, a House Oversight Committee memo alleged that Ye is tied to the CCP and Chinese military.
“From 2003 to 2005, Ye reportedly was the deputy secretary-general of the China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC), ‘an international outreach arm for the PLA [People’s Liberation Army],’ and ‘platform for deploying undercover intelligence gatherers,” the memo stated.
In 2017, Ye gifted Hunter Biden a diamond “worth up to $80,000,” according to the House memo.
The following year, Ye was arrested on bribery charges by Chinese authorities, according to Chinese-language media reports.
Ye used CEFC to “bribe and corruptly influence foreign officials,” the House memo alleges.
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Signup for our free newsletter.
We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps