Top Republican House committee chairs on Monday demanded all documents and communications from the Department of Justice (DOJ) referring or relating to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of prosecutor David Weiss to special counsel in the Hunter Biden case.
Garland appointed Weiss special counsel earlier this month after Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal fell apart due to judicial scrutiny. Weiss investigated Hunter Biden for five years before working out the plea deal with the president’s son. Reports indicate the plea deal was only pushed through due to IRS whistleblower allegations.
WATCH — CNN’s Honig: DOJ Repeatedly Took “Very Lenient” Stance on Hunter, Only Changed After Public Pressure, Whistleblowers:
“It is not clear why you have only now, after the investigation has been going on for five years, opted to appoint Mr. Weiss as special counsel, especially after you and the Department represented that Mr. Weiss already had ‘ultimate’ authority over the case,” House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote Monday in a letter, also signed by House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) and House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY).
The lawmakers noted the alleged special treatment Hunter Biden received from the DOJ, including the agency tipping off Hunter Biden’s counsel; allowing the statute of limitations to lapse on tax charges; suggestions to remove Hunter Biden’s name from documents, such as subpoenas; and prohibiting IRS and FBI investigators from asking about or referring to “the big guy” or “dad” in witness interviews.
WATCH — Joe Biden Snaps at Reporter over “Big Guy” Question: “Why’d You Ask Such a Dumb Question?”:
“Since the early days of its investigation concerning Hunter Biden, DOJ has deviated from its standard investigative procedure and afforded Hunter Biden special privileges not afforded to other Americans”:
For instance, according to whistleblowers, the Department tipped off Hunter Biden’s counsel that investigators would search a storage unit Hunter Biden owned before investigators could conduct the search. In another instance, the Department allowed the statute of limitations to lapse on charges for the 2014 and 2015 tax years, including felony charges of tax evasion and filing a false or fraudulent tax return for the 2014 tax year, despite defense counsel’s willingness to consent to an extension. These deviations took place while Mr. Weiss, with the full support and backing of the Department, oversaw the Hunter Biden investigation as U.S. Attorney — prior to receiving special counsel status.
President Joe Biden boards Marine One with his son Hunter Biden as he leaves Andrews Air Force Base on June 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The DOJ has until September 11 to respond to the letter.
The agency confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment, the Hill reported.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
