US Attorney General Merrick Garland is appointing a special counsel to oversee the government’s ongoing criminal investigation into President Joe Biden’s son over his taxes, a major twist in the case after a controversial plea deal reached by Hunter Biden fell apart in court last month.
(Bloomberg) — US Attorney General Merrick Garland is appointing a special counsel to oversee the government’s ongoing criminal investigation into President Joe Biden’s son over his taxes, a major twist in the case after a controversial plea deal reached by Hunter Biden fell apart in court last month.
Garland has named US Attorney David Weiss — the official overseeing the politically fraught criminal investigation into Hunter Biden — as the special counsel, a decision that will remove Weiss from day-to-day oversight of Biden administration officials.
Announcing the appointment on Friday, Garland cited the “extraordinary circumstances” of the ongoing probe into the family of a sitting president. Weiss will become the third special counsel appointed by Garland. Jack Smith is leading an investigation into former President Donald Trump, and Robert Hur is overseeing a probe into President Biden’s handling of classified material.
Neither the White House nor Hunter Biden’s team were given advance notice that Garland was going to appoint a special counsel, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Although Weiss’s role won’t change, the new designation means he’ll operate outside of the normal chain of command, a move intended to address any concerns — real or perceived — about political influence by administration officials.
Garland said that Weiss had advised him that the special counsel appointment would be appropriate at this stage of the investigation. Weiss will “decide where, when, and whether to file charges,” Garland said.
Garland still has the power to remove him, but must show cause.
“Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as Special Counsel,” Garland said.
(adds more graphs with context on breaking news)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.