WASHINGTON — The recent criminal charges against Hunter Biden have been described as the result of extensive and unbiased investigations, according to the leading prosecutor, David Weiss. His report notably criticizes President Joe Biden for publicly disparaging the Justice Department when he decided to pardon his son.
Weiss emphasized that while other presidents have pardoned family members, none have used the occasion to criticize Justice Department officials based on what he termed as false accusations. The special counsel’s report, submitted Monday, highlighted the gun and tax violations that resulted in felony convictions for Hunter Biden, which were later erased by the presidential pardon.
The report encapsulates years of investigations that began before Attorney General Merrick Garland took office but evolved into one of the most contentious inquiries during his term. These investigations captured significant attention from Republican lawmakers and eventually led to a division between the Justice Department and the White House concerning the handling of the president’s son.
Alongside summarizing the investigative findings, the document serves as a vigorous defense of the prosecution’s efforts while openly rebuking President Biden regarding comments made during his son’s pardon announcement last month. The president had initially promised not to pardon Hunter Biden; however, he changed his stance, arguing that Hunter represented a “miscarriage of justice” subject to selective prosecution due to the stigma of his family name.
President Biden stated, “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong.” In response, Weiss—who had been the U.S. Attorney for Delaware during the Trump administration and retained his post under Garland—disagreed with the president’s assertions, pointing out that judges had previously rejected such claims.
According to Weiss, the president’s statements were factually inaccurate and fundamentally misguided. Such claims erode public confidence in the judicial system, he noted. Weiss cautioned that questioning judicial decisions and insinuating partisanship into the enforcement of law undermines the foundational principles of justice in America.
Hunter Biden’s legal counsel responded critically to the report, asserting that Weiss did not adequately address why the prosecution pursued what they deemed as unfounded conspiracy theories about Hunter Biden, which prolonged the investigation unnecessarily. Defense attorney Abbe Lowell described the investigation as an example of prosecutorial overreach.
The inquiry into Hunter Biden’s affairs was initially disclosed by him in 2020 when he announced that federal investigators were reviewing his tax records. The path to resolution involved various leaderships within the Justice Department, spanning across political lines. In 2023, Hunter Biden was expected to enter a guilty plea concerning misdemeanor tax violations; however, the plea deal unraveled due to a significant dispute between his legal representation and federal prosecutors.
Eventually, he faced a trial in Delaware and was convicted of three felonies related to false statements made while purchasing a firearm, claiming he was not involved with illegal substances. Weiss characterized Hunter Biden as an educated professional who knowingly lied on the application for a firearm in 2018 while being aware of his drug use.
Hunter Biden later took a surprising guilty plea for federal tax offenses in September, thereby dodging a trial laden with potentially damaging evidence concerning his tumultuous personal life. Weiss stated that Hunter had “consciously and willfully chosen” not to fulfill his tax obligations, accumulating at least $1.4 million owed over a four-year span.
Arguments made by the president concerning the alleged injustice faced by his son mirrored claims from Hunter Biden’s legal team, suggesting that political pressures influenced the decision to indict him following the collapse of what they deemed a lenient plea deal. Weiss refuted these claims, asserting that these prosecutions exemplified the fair enforcement of the law, asserting that everyone, regardless of their identity or last name, is subject to the same legal consequences as any other American.
