Garland backtracks on GOP claims of bias in Hunter Biden investigation

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Friday defended the Justice Department’s five-year investigation into Hunter Biden, strongly refuting claims by House Republicans that he prevented federal prosecutors in Delaware from expanding the investigation to a wider scope. range of crimes.

On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee released testimony from two IRS officials who said David C. Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware who oversaw the investigation, told them Justice Department officials prevented him from bringing cases to in Washington, DC, and California.

The IRS officials also claimed in their testimony that Mr. Weiss had told them that his request to appoint special counsel had been denied, which would have allowed him to file a detailed report of his findings that could potentially become public. made as soon as the probe I sent.

Mr Garland denied both allegations at a press conference at department headquarters, saying he had given Mr Weiss “full authority” to “continue his investigation and make a decision to prosecute in whatever way he pleased and in any district in whatever he wanted.”

He scoffed at the idea that Mr. Weiss, a seasoned prosecutor, would want to be appointed special counsel, given the authority he already possessed as a US attorney.

Mr. Weiss was appointed U.S. Attorney in Delaware by President Donald J. Trump and eventually took charge of the investigation of Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, during the Trump administration. He was detained by Mr. Garland to allow him to complete the investigation. Mr. Garland and Mr. Weiss both made public statements that Mr. Weiss had complete control over the matter.

“The only person who has the authority to make someone special counsel, or to refuse to make him special counsel, is the attorney general,” he said, adding: “Mr. Weiss has granted that request never did.

Mr. Garland said he would not stop Mr. Weiss from testifying before Congress once the case was closed.

Mr. Weiss had no comment. But when he announced the agreement in the Hunter Biden case on Tuesday, he said the investigation was “ongoing” — to the surprise of all parties.

It’s not clear what he meant, but the statement will soon have a chilling effect on more public disclosure, effectively barring Mr Weiss from speaking publicly about the investigation until it’s officially closed.

The release of the transcripts by the House committee came 48 hours after Mr. Weiss had announced that Mr. Biden would plead guilty to two felony counts of failing to file his tax returns on time and would participate in a pre-trial diversion program designed to allow him to avoid prosecution. on a separate weapon load.

House Republicans attempted to paint the IRS officials’ testimony as evidence that Hunter Biden had been given a love deal by the Justice Department and that the department was subject to political influence.

“If the federal government does not treat all taxpayers equally, or if it changes the rules to achieve a desired outcome, Congress has a duty to ask why and to hold agencies accountable and consider appropriate legislative action,” Representative Missouri Republican Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement Thursday.

In testimony released by the committee on Thursday, the lead IRS agent investigating whether Hunter Biden had committed tax crimes told Congress that his team had found evidence that Mr. Biden had invoked his father, who was not in office at the time. while putting pressure on a potential Chinese business partner. in 2017 to move forward with a proposed energy deal, House Republicans said.

According to a summary of a WhatsApp message provided to the committee, Mr Biden told the business partner that he was sitting with his father and that “we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled”.

“Tell the director I want to fix this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight,” Biden wrote, referring to other participants in the proposed deal, according to the testimony. “And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make sure that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to always holding a grudge that you will regret if you do not follow my directions.”

It is not clear whether Mr Biden’s father, who was out of office for six months after serving two terms as vice president, was actually present at the call or was involved in any way in his son’s business activities, who at the time was addicted to crack cocaine and had financial problems.

Christopher Clark, Hunter Biden’s attorney in his dealings with the Justice Department, said in a statement Friday: “The DOJ investigation spanned a period of time that was a time of turmoil and addiction for my client. Any verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrible addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family.

Mr Clark said the allegations cited by the Ways and Means Committee came from a “highly biased” witness.

“It is dangerously misleading to make any conclusions or inferences based on this document,” Mr Clark said.