US Attorney Merrick Garland on Friday announced that he has appointed a special counsel against Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, over two cases of tax evasion, further deepening the highly-publicised investigation ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
In a statement from the Office of the Attorney General, Garland said that David Weiss, US attorney in Delaware, to probe the financial and business dealings of Hunter Biden. Weiss, appointed by ex-President Donald Trump, has been handling the case since 2019 before a plea deal between the Justice Department and Hunter fell apart.
"On Tuesday of this week, Mr. Weiss advised me that in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a Special Counsel, and he asked to be so appointed. Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as Special Counsel," said Gerland.
Weiss will have control over the authority and responsibility that to oversee the investigation and decide where, when, and whether to file charges.
"Today’s announcement affords the prosecutors, agents, and analysts working on this matter the ability to proceed with their work expeditiously, and to make decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law … I am confident that Mr. Weiss will carry out his responsibility in an even-handed and urgent matter, and in accordance with the highest traditions of this Department," the Attorney General further added.
The development comes amid two probes by the US Justice Department have been launched against Trump, Joe Biden's chief rival in the 2024 presidential elections. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives have also launched a separate investigation in Hunter's business dealings.
Hunter pleaded not guilty last month to two tax crimes after a plea deal with federal prosecutors unravelled during a court hearing following the judge’s concerns over the agreement.
Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanour tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he had made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold. He is also charged with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs.
During the hearing, there was a dispute in court over whether the initial agreement gave him protection against any future charges. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised concerns about the language of the deal.
The judge gave defence lawyers and prosecutors 30 days to explain why she should accept the initial deal. The collapsed proceedings, were a surprising development because the plea had been carefully negotiated over weeks and included a lengthy back-and-forth between Justice Department prosecutors and Biden’s attorneys.
(with AP inputs)
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