Hunter Biden prosecutor insists he was never denied charging authority
US Attorney David Weiss said he has not sought special counsel status as part of his investigation into Hunter Biden.
Weiss also said he was reassured by the Justice Department that he would have the authority to press charges against President Joe Biden’s son outside of his Delaware district if he so chose.
The US attorney outlined his powers in a letter to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham after the South Carolina senator wrote his own asking him to clarify an IRS whistleblower’s allegations that he had been denied special counsel status.
“I didn’t ask for special counsel,” Weiss remarked.
“I was assured that I would be given this authority if it were necessary,” Weiss added. “And this assurance came months before the October 7, 2022 meeting referenced in the whistleblowers’ allegations.”
US Attorney David Weiss said he did not ask for special counsel status as part of his investigation into Hunter Biden
Weiss adds that he has “never been denied the authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction.”
Questions have been raised about the extent of Weiss’ authority after IRS agent Gary Shapely, a whistleblower, alleged that Weiss had attempted to press charges against Hunter Biden in Washington DC but was blocked by DC’s top federal prosecutor Matthew Graves, a appointed by Biden.
Federal law requires federal criminal proceedings to be conducted in the district where the crimes were committed. Hunter Biden lived in Washington DC and California at the time of his tax crimes.
That means Weiss needs the cooperation of the Central District of California and Washington DC to press charges there.
Shapley said Weiss was denied that permission.
But Weiss said he was reassured he would have gotten it if he asked.
Shapley’s lawyers accused Weiss of changing his story.
“The story of U.S. attorney David Weiss continues to evolve,” Shapley’s legal team said in a statement.
In practice, it doesn’t matter whether Weiss requested special counsel or a special attorney. In no case should ‘the trial’ have included the political appointees of the subject’s father, because Congress and the public had been assured that it would not – but it did.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wrote to U.S. Attorney David Weiss asking him to respond to allegations made by an IRS whistleblower
Shapley, in an interview with Fox news in June, described an October 7, 2022 meeting with top IRS and FBI officials about the Hunter case.
“I was there and I personally witnessed it,” Shapley said, noting that Weiss began by saying “he’s not the person who decides whether or not to press charges.”
Shapley claimed the final decision was made by Washington DC officials. He noted that in March 2022, Weiss met with Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia who was appointed by President Joe Biden.
“After that happened, he was no longer looking to attack,” Shapley said.
Shapley noted that Weiss said he asked for special counsel and was denied.
“I even had him repeat that because I knew how important that fact was, and I wanted to make sure I understood it,” he noted.
Shapley said he even documented the details of the meeting in an email, noting that the email was in the hands of house investigators.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has consistently said Weiss had full authority.
Garland had said, “As I said at the outset, Mr. Weiss was appointed by President Trump as the U.S. Attorney in Delaware and assigned this case during the previous administration.”
Garland said Weiss would be allowed to continue his investigation and make a decision to prosecute any way he wants and in any district he wants. Mr Weiss has since sent a letter to the House Judiciary confirming that he had that authority.
“I don’t know how it would be possible for someone to dissuade him from prosecuting, given that he has this authority,” he said in June.
He claimed that Weiss never asked to be appointed special prosecutor.
‘Mr. In fact, Weiss had more authority than a special counsel would have.”
“He was given full authority to make all decisions alone,” he noted.
“Some have chosen to attack the integrity of the Justice Department by claiming that we do not treat cases equally. This constitutes an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy,” Garland said.
IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley claimed Trump-appointed US attorney David Weiss told him he was not in charge of deciding whether or not Hunter Biden faced federal charges — and that a Joe Biden-appointed attorney called
Hunter Biden, seen in late July with President Joe Biden and his son Beau, has a plea deal with the federal government
Meanwhile, 53-year-old Hunter Biden reached an agreement with the government to plead guilty to tax crimes.
The plea deal would also avoid prosecution on charges of illegal possession of firearms as a drug user, as long as Hunter Biden adheres to terms agreed to in court at the July 26 hearing.
Announcing the plea deal, Weiss noted that he had sued Hunter in connection with his 2018 gun purchase, but said he would not pursue the charges under a two-year trial diversion program.
Republicans have questioned why Weiss did not make more aggressive felony charges and have conducted their own investigations.
So far, Weiss has not sent GOP investigators any of the documents they requested, citing his ongoing investigation.
Weiss and Garland are expected to testify before Congress at some point, likely after Hunter Biden’s July 26 appearance in federal court.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly said he had nothing to do with Hunter’s business dealings and the White House has stressed that they are out of any Justice Department investigation.
The White House said in a statement that the president and the First Lady “love and support their son as he continues to rebuild his life.” We will not comment further.’
The Hunter Biden investigation was initiated in 2018 by the Trump Department of Justice and eventually turned over to Weiss, who was appointed to his position by Trump.