US attorney general appoints special counsel in Hunter Biden fraud probe
US Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed David Weiss as special counsel in the ongoing probe into fraud allegations against American president’s son Hunter Biden, amid growing scrutiny of his financial and business dealings.
Weiss will be responsible for the “ongoing investigation" of President Joe Biden's son "as well as for any other matters that arose or may arise from that investigation," the Justice Department said in a statement.
Shortly before prosecutors from Weiss's team revealed in a court filing that plea talks over tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden had broken down, the announcement was made that Weiss would be appointed as a special counsel in the ongoing probe.
Later on Friday, prosecutors indicated that they could potentially bring different charges against Hunter Biden in the new case.
The appointment of Weiss as a special counsel comes as a surprise and deepens the investigation into Hunter Biden, according to local press reports.
Republican Congressman James Comer of Kentucky and the chairman of the House Oversight Committee who's been investigating the Biden family's business dealings, blasted Weiss's appointment as "part of the Justice Department's efforts to attempt a Biden family cover up."
Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio and the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, also ripped the appointment despite previously calling for special counsel.
“David Weiss can’t be trusted and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family’s corruption. Weiss has already signed off on a sweetheart plea deal that was so awful and unfair that a federal judge rejected it," said his spokesperson, Russell Dye.
In a statement, Hunter Biden's lawyer Chris Clark said, "Whether in Delaware, Washington, D.C. or anywhere else, we expect a fair resolution on behalf of our client."
In a filing prosecutors suggested Biden could be facing new charges. "The Government, in the exercise of its prosecutorial discretion, is considering what tax charges to bring in another district and may elect to bring the same charges set forth in the instant information or different ones," the filing said.
Earlier this year, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges related to his failure to pay income taxes.
However, while standing in court last month waiting to enter the plea, the agreement fell apart over confusion about a separate gun charge.
Despite owing over $100,000 in federal income taxes each year, he did not pay the income tax due for either year.
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