No withdrawal! Hunter inquiry follows Biden to Camp David as president refuses to comment on appointment of special counsel for his son amid plea deal failure as he stands next to Asian allies
- President Joe Biden was asked about the Hunter Biden probe during Friday’s Camp David trilateral summit with the leaders of South Korea and Japan
- Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed US attorney David Weiss as special counsel a week ago
- “I’m making — I have no comment on any investigation that’s going on. That’s up to the Justice Department. And that’s all I have to say,” Biden said
President Joe Biden gave “no comment” when asked Friday about his response to Attorney General Merrick Garland elevating the US attorney in charge of the Hunter Biden investigation to special prosecutor status.
Garland’s announcement came last Friday, but the president this week prevented reporters from asking him questions.
But on Friday, Biden had gathered Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for a historic trilateral summit at Camp David, which concluded with the traditional press conference.
“I’m making — I have no comment on any investigation that’s going on. That’s up to the Justice Department. And that’s all I have to say,” Biden said.
A US reporter had snuck in a question about Hunter Biden after asking each of the three leaders about regional issues.
President Joe Biden (center) was asked about the Hunter Biden probe during his historic summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) on Friday
Garland held a press conference a week ago and announced that Delaware’s US attorney David Weiss would be elevated to special counsel.
Weiss, a Trump appointee, was already in charge of the investigation.
But those credentials didn’t reassure Republicans, especially after IRS whistleblowers claimed Weiss didn’t have full authority to conduct the first son’s tax and gun investigation.
Garland said Weiss himself requested the nomination, which is usually undertaken to protect against political pressure or the appearance of pressure.
“In his opinion, his investigation has reached a stage where he should continue his work as special counsel, and he applied for appointment,” Garland said.
GOP lawmakers also pointed to what they considered a plea for a sweetheart to receive the first son.
Hunter Biden’s plea deal officially fell apart last Friday.
Several Republicans suggested Weiss’s promotion was an attempt to obstruct ongoing GOP congressional investigations into Biden’s business deals.
“This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or condone the corruption of the Biden family,” said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Senator Chuck Grassley – an Iowa Republican who previously led an investigation into Biden’s business deals – initially responded positively to the development.
“It’s about time,” he told DailyMail.com when he visited the Iowa State Fair last Friday.
When he heard that Weiss had been elevated rather than a new person appointed, Grassley became more skeptical.
“Did they specially appoint him so he wouldn’t have to testify before the United States Congress?” he mused. “If that’s your game – then I’d say there are ulterior motives.”
He also pointed out that the way the Senate confirms U.S. attorneys from each state is that the state’s senators must sign, meaning two Democrats gave the go-ahead for Weiss’ nomination during the Trump years.
“What I know today, I don’t want to say what he did in his job, but you can see this plea deal that the judge didn’t accept raises a lot of questions about him,” Grassley said. “Didn’t you have the government and the guilty on the same side of the table?”