Hunter Biden investigation: AG appoints special counsel

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced that he has appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss to serve as special counsel in the investigation into Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son.

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The appointment came after Weiss, who has served as the U.S. attorney in Delaware since 2018, asked for the designation on Tuesday. He has been investigating Hunter Biden’s financial and business dealings since 2019.

“Mr. Weiss advised me that in his judgment, his investigation had reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be so appointed,” Garland said at a news conference Friday. “Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances related to this matter, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel.”

Former President Donald Trump nominated Weiss to serve as U.S. attorney, and he was subsequently confirmed by the Senate. In February 2021, he was asked to stay on and continue his investigation of the president’s son.

Garland said the appointment Friday would allow Weiss “to continue his investigation, take any investigative steps he wanted and make the decision (on) whether to prosecute in any district.”

Last month, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax charges after a judge declined to accept a plea agreement reached with prosecutors. The agreement would have seen him plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax and admit to the facts of a firearm charge. He would have been required to enter a pretrial diversion agreement as part of the deal.

However, a judge took issue with the scope of the agreement and rejected it. On Friday, Weiss said plea deal talks had broken down between authorities and attorneys for Hunter Biden, The Associated Press reported.

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