Special Prosecutor to Investigate Hunter Biden, Son of US President

(Patria) - Joe Biden's son Hunter will now be investigated by a special prosecutor with additional powers, the US Attorney General announced, BBC reported.

Merrick Garland has elevated the status of David Weiss, the federal prosecutor who has already filed a criminal complaint in the case. In a surprise announcement at the Department of Justice on Friday, Garland explained that he made the move following a request from Weiss earlier this week. The new appointment will provide the prosecutor with additional resources to continue the investigation and potentially bring additional charges outside the state of Delaware.

Garland said the special prosecutor will submit a report when his work is done, and that the Department of Justice will release as much as possible.

"We are confident that when all these maneuvers are concluded, my client will have a resolution and will successfully move on with his life," said Hunter Biden's lawyer, Chris Clark.

He pointed out that the investigation has been ongoing for five years. Weiss was appointed US Attorney for Delaware in 2018 by former President Donald Trump. Shortly thereafter, in 2019, he opened an investigation into allegations of criminal conduct by Hunter Biden.

Hunter Biden has since been charged with two tax offenses for allegedly failing to pay income taxes in 2017 and 2018, during which he earned more than $1.5 million, according to the Delaware US Attorney's Office. He also faces an additional criminal charge for allegedly possessing a firearm while addicted to and using illegal drugs. Hunter Biden had previously reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to the tax charges and admit to a firearms offense to spare himself prison time. However, US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika overturned the agreement due to "non-standard terms" and the "unusual" nature of the proposed resolution for the weapons charge.

Since then, Hunter Biden and prosecutors have begun plea negotiations but remain at an impasse. In a court filing on Friday, Weiss's team said they now expect the case to go to trial and could potentially file new, more serious charges in Washington D.C. or California.

Republicans want the younger Biden to be criminally charged, along with the President. They allege that Biden profited from his son's business dealings in Ukraine and China. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said a Republican-controlled committee will continue to investigate the President and his son regardless of the special prosecutor's announcement. He reiterated concerns expressed by other Republicans that Weiss's investigation had not been aggressive enough. Other Republicans have questioned whether the attempt to move the trial out of Delaware, where it was overseen by Trump-appointed Judge Noreika, was an effort to find a more Biden-friendly venue.

The White House has called these accusations "crazy conspiracy theories" and rejected the claim that Biden was involved in his son's business dealings.