David Weiss Rejects Claims the DOJ Meddled With His Hunter Biden Probe: I Am ‘The Decision-Maker On This Case’
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Special Counsel David Weiss declared authority over his own probe into Hunter Biden, pushing back on claims that his investigation was impeded by the Justice Department.
House Judiciary Committee investigators held a closed-door meeting with Weiss on Tuesday, wherein he faced questions about the scope of his authority and how he handled his probe into President Joe Biden’s son. Politico’s Jordain Carney obtained Weiss’s remarks, in which he noted the limits in what he could disclose about the investigation, but he argued in defense of his own autonomy while complying with the necessary regulations of the Justice Department:
I am, and have been, the decision-maker on this case. I do not, however, make these decisions in a vacuum. I am bound by federal law, the principles of federal prosecution and DOJ guidelines. As a result, there are processes that I must adhere to in making investigative and charging decisions. These processes did not interfere with my decision-making authority. At no time was I blocked, or otherwise prevented from pursuing charges or taking the steps necessary in the investigation by other United States Attorneys, the Tax Division or anyone else at the Department of Justice.
As I have said previously, I did not request Special Counsel status until August 2023. When I made that request, it was promptly granted.
Throughout this investigation, the career prosecutors on my team and I have made decisions based on the facts and the law. Political considerations played no part in our decision-making. Our analysis has been moored to the principles of federal prosecution, and going forward, my team and I will continue to abide by the same principles as we try to bring this matter to a just conclusion.
Weiss’ declaration that the DOJ didn’t lean on his decisions run counter to the testimonies of IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. The two have claimed that Weiss was blocked from charging Hunter Biden, that Weiss and other officials slowwalked the probe, and that Weiss didn’t have full authority over the investigation. Republicans have used these DOJ corruption claims as the foundation of their impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
