Attorney General Merrick Garland announced today that the President Donald Trump-appointed U.S. attorney who is investigating Hunter Biden has been given “special counsel” status.
U.S. Attorney David Weiss reportedly requested the special counsel status on Tuesday.
Weiss now has more powers than a typical U.S. attorney.
There are three special counsels at the Justice Department currently conducting investigations.
They are independently investigating matters related to Democrat President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and Trump.
Weiss will be responsible for the “ongoing investigation” of Hunter Biden, the Justice Department said in a statement.
He will also be looking into “any other matters that arose or may arise from that investigation,” the statement adds.
Weiss asked to be appointed special counsel on Tuesday and Garland agreed it was “in the public interest” to do so.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announces that the Trump-appointed US attorney who is investigating Hunter Biden, David Weiss, has been given “special counsel” status. Weiss requested the special counsel status on Tuesday. (After saying in July he had not requested it.) pic.twitter.com/ThSKNKNaFU
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 11, 2023
JUST IN: Biden AG Merrick Garland appoints U.S. Attorney David Weiss as a special counsel in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation pic.twitter.com/HBaNDUUkh9
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 11, 2023
According To NBC:
DOJ noted that Weiss was nominated by then-President Donald Trump in 2017 and confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate in 2018.
Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges related to his failure to pay income taxes earlier this year.
But while standing in court last month waiting to enter the plea, the agreement fell apart over confusion about a separate gun charge.
The judge asked the parties to hammer out the agreement and return later, leaving Hunter Biden to enter a not-guilty plea while it’s litigated.
READ MORE: GOP Takes Off Kid Gloves: ‘We Are Going to Subpoena the Biden Family’
