US Attorney General Merrick Garland has named David Weiss a special counsel, giving him more investigative autonomy
The lead prosecutor handling the criminal investigation of US President Joe Biden’s son has been given special counsel status, potentially deepening the probe after a federal judge rejected a plea deal that would have enabled Hunter Biden to avoid jail time on tax and gun charges.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the decision to appoint David Weiss, US attorney for the district of Delaware, as special counsel on Friday. Weiss said in a court filing earlier in the day that negotiations on a revised plea agreement with Hunter Biden were at an “impasse,” suggesting that the case may wind up going to trial.
Garland said Weiss, who has been probing alleged crimes by Hunter Biden since 2019, asked on Tuesday to be appointed as a special counsel in the case because “in his judgment, his investigation had reached a stage at…