'Baseless accusations': Hunter Biden special counsel lashes out at president for criticism
Special counsel David Weiss sharply tore into President Joe Biden over his criticisms of the case against his son Hunter, in his final report made public on Monday, The New York Times reported.
Biden controversially issued a full pardon to his son, who was convicted of tax crimes and illegal attempts to buy a gun, shortly after President-elect Donald Trump nominated far-right conspiracy theorist loyalist Kash Patel to serve as FBI director. The move, which ran counter to Biden's previous statements he would not use the pardon power on his family, led some to speculate the president had no confidence in the DOJ under Trump not to engage in political attacks against his son.
Regardless, Weiss, himself a former Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, slammed the president's "baseless accusations" of political meddling in the charges brought against his son — something other legal experts have argued as well, noting that the charges brought against Hunter Biden are highly unusual as a standalone case.
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“Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors as politically motivated when they disagree with the outcome of a case undermine the public’s confidence in our criminal justice system,” said Weiss’ report. “The president’s statements unfairly impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel, but all of the public servants making these difficult decisions in good faith.”
Hunter Biden initially planned to take a plea deal in the charges against him. The deal fell through due to a last-minute disagreement between the defense and prosecution about the full extent of the protection the deal offered.
Weiss acknowledged in his report that the issue of Hunter Biden's guilt was made moot by the pardon: "On December 1, 2024, before Mr. Biden could be sentenced in either case, President Biden pardoned his son for all criminal offenses he committed or may have committed over the last eleven years. In light of this pardon, I cannot make any additional charging decisions as to Mr. Biden's conduct during those eleven years. It would thus be inappropriate to discuss whether additional charges are warranted."