On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who ignored questions afterwards, announced that Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss had been appointed as a Special Counsel to investigate Hunter Biden. Weiss had been investigating and brought charges against Hunter for tax and gun charges, but had caused considerable confusion about his authority in bringing charges. Hunter had also been given a plea deal that would have enabled him to avoid jail time, as well as immunity for other charges. Given all this, suspicion abounds about the special counsel, though the Republican-controlled House is still looking to get to the bottom of it all, including and especially the chairmen of the three committees most involved.
TODAY: AG Merrick Garland appoints David Weiss as special counsel in Hunter Biden investigation
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 11, 2023
JUNE: IRS Whistleblower Shapley testifies that he personally witnessed David Weiss claim that "he was not the deciding person in whether charges were filed" against Hunter Biden pic.twitter.com/gZcaNkPAbS
BREAKING: A Special Counsel Has Been Appointed to Investigate Hunter Biden https://t.co/MDUnNTV0O1
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 11, 2023
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) released a statement warning about a cover up.
"This move by Attorney General Garland is part of the Justice Department’s efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of the House Oversight Committee’s mounting evidence of President Joe Biden’s role in his family’s schemes selling ‘the brand’ for millions of dollars to foreign nationals," his statement read in part. "The Justice Department’s misconduct and politicization in the Biden criminal investigation already allowed the statute of limitations to run with respect to egregious felonies committed by Hunter Biden. Justice Department officials refused to follow evidence that could have led to Joe Biden, tipped off the Biden transition team and Hunter Biden’s lawyers about planned interviews and searches, and attempted to sneakily place Hunter Biden on the path to a sweetheart plea deal."
The statement also warned that the Biden administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking to get in the way of Congress.
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"Let’s be clear what today’s move is really about. The Biden Justice Department is trying to stonewall congressional oversight as we have presented evidence to the American people about the Biden family’s corruption," the Friday statement continued. "The House Oversight Committee will continue to follow the Biden family’s money trail and interview witnesses to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens, President Biden is compromised and corrupt, and our national security is threatened. We will also continue to work with the House Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means to root out misconduct at the Justice Department and hold bad actors accountable for weaponizing law enforcement powers."
In speaking to CBS News, one of the few mainstream media outlets truly covering the Biden family corruption scandal, Comer reinforced how the special counsel is a "100 percent political move," emphasizing Weiss' role in the "sweetheart plea deal."
🚨 STATEMENT ON SPECIAL COUNSEL 🚨
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) August 11, 2023
The DOJ is attempting a Biden family coverup.
Moments ago, AG Garland announced he is designating U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss as special counsel for the Biden criminal investigation. This is part of the DOJ’s efforts to attempt a…
Friday, AG Garland appointed US Attorney Weiss as special counsel in Hunter Biden criminal probe. @RepJamesComer tells @CBSNews “It's 100% political move. How can you appoint someone who less than two weeks ago tried to negotiate a sweetheart plea deal.” pic.twitter.com/HTgvPUh1j5
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) August 11, 2023
Comer's statement called to mind how the Oversight Committee is working on investigating Biden family corruption, and had just previewed on Thursday morning that subpoenas will be coming for members the Biden family, though they are looking to interview other witnesses as well, and are building a case over time that holds up in the courts.
One of the other committees mentioned in Comer's statement included the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). Weiss will go before the House Judiciary Committee in September or October.
Russell Dye, a spokesperson for the chairman, made clear that cooperation is still expected. "We expect the Department to fully cooperate with our investigation, including not interfering with the 11 transcribed interviews we have requested and David Weiss upholding his commitment to testify, and we have not heard anything from the Department indicating it is no longer willing to do so," he said in a statement.
If they appointed a truly independent special counsel, would they hire the guy who offered Hunter a sweetheart plea deal?
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) August 11, 2023
𝐍𝐎.
First, David Weiss said he didn’t have the power he needed and wanted special counsel status.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) August 11, 2023
Then, he said he had all the power he needs.
Now, he gets special counsel status because he didn’t really have the power he needs?
Something’s not right.
David Weiss can’t be trusted and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family’s corruption.
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) August 11, 2023
Weiss has already signed off on a sweetheart plea deal that was so awful and unfair that a federal judge rejected it.
One of the many tweets on Friday from Jordan and the Committee included a House Oversight Committee hearing during which Jordan summarized the confusion caused by Garland and Weiss. The chairman asked Garland in a letter dated February 28 why it was that a special counsel was not appointed. His letter went ignored.
Jordan sent another letter on May 25, which Garland did not respond to. It was Weiss who did so on June 7 in which he claimed he did have full authority in charging Hunter Biden. This is despite claims from Gary Shapley, an IRS whistleblower, who said Weiss told six people he did not have such authority.
Weiss wrote Jordan again on June 30, in a letter that came as part of a Friday night news dump right before the 4th of July holiday. "Wow, already changing his story 23 days later," Jordan said about that letter in which Weiss then claimed "my charging authority is geographically limited to my home district." Jordan emphasized his concerns with Weiss continuing to change his story.
On July 10, Weiss wrote Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to clarify that he had not requested special counsel designation, but had had conversations with departmental officials.
"Mr. Weiss can't get his story straight," Jordan pointed out in concern. "Three different stories in a five-week timeframe."
As Jordan reminded, however, Shapley and fellow IRS whistleblower, Joseph Ziegler, had not changed their stories.
🚨🚨WATCH🚨🚨
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) August 11, 2023
House @JudiciaryGOP Chair @Jim_Jordan highlights why David Weiss CANNOT be trusted to conduct a thorough investigation into Hunter Biden. pic.twitter.com/fHiCFPIssy
Republican chairmen appear to be unified in their messages making assurances about keeping with investigations. A statement from Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) of the House Committee on Ways and Means highlighted as much, while also praising the work of Republicans in Congress.
It was through testimony that IRS whistleblowers provided to the House Committee on Ways and Means that it was revealed how Hunter Biden got his plea deal.
"The announcement of a special counsel in this matter only happened because congressional Republicans have exposed the two-tiered judicial system by shining a light onto the investigation into Hunter Biden’s numerous alleged financial crimes and the political interference that shielded both him and the President from scrutiny," his statement began.
"Unfortunately, A.G. Garland selected the very same Biden-aligned U.S. Attorney of Delaware, David Weiss, who oversaw the clearly bungled investigation into Hunter Biden and who was the architect of his sweetheart plea deal. This move raises clear concerns that the Administration is once again running cover for the political interference into the Hunter Biden investigation that led to the unprecedented plea deal that fell apart before a federal Judge in Delaware," he continued, also issuing a warning and reassurances. "The reality is this appointment is meant to distract from, and slow down, our investigations. But Congress will not be deterred from continuing its work to hold the Biden Administration accountable and will use every tool available to uncover the facts the American people deserve."
Smith also spoke to Fox News on Friday slamming the appointment, reminding that "Mr. Weiss is the single architect over that sweetheart plea agreement deal that the judge in Delaware threw out just a few weeks ago, saying it was awful and unfair," and that Hunter Biden could have gotten "complete immunity," including for future crimes, something the judge in the case, Judge Maryellen Noreika said she hadn't seen before.
"I am very fearful that appointing the special counsel is just an attempt to stonewall Congress' investigation of the Biden family," he also revealed.
Chairmen Comer, Jordan, and Smith had also signed onto a letter on July 31, not long after the plea deal collapsed. The letter informed Garland that they were opening an inquiry into the plea deal, with the deadline for Garland to respond to a requested list of questions coming this upcoming Monday.
David Weiss was the architect of Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal and oversaw the botched investigation into his alleged tax crimes.
— Rep. Jason Smith (@RepJasonSmith) August 11, 2023
Appointing him special counsel isn’t about Justice, it’s about stonewalling our investigation into the Biden family. pic.twitter.com/T6KHTMdOQL
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