President Biden claimed in May that his son, Hunter, ‘has done nothing wrong’
President Biden has stood firm amid a series of legal challenges to his son Hunter, insisting on multiple occasions that he believes his son has “done nothing wrong” before the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to conduct a further investigation. into the situation.
On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed U.S. special counsel to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation and any potential fallout from it. Attorney David Weiss was appointed.
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Weiss, the federal prosecutor who investigated Hunter Biden’s business dealings and filed charges against him in Delaware, has been tapped as special counsel. The appointment signals that the Justice Department’s investigation into the president’s son is far from over, contrary to claims from Hunter’s defense attorneys.
However, Weiss, who some Republicans believe the Biden family may have “covered up” Hunter’s alleged transgressions, previously revealed a plea deal in July that led to Hunter’s conviction on tax evasion charges. However, President Trump’s appointment of the U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected the agreement after expressing reservations about some aspects of its terms.
Republicans have criticized the deal as a “favorite” deal and are pursuing their own investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings with a view to impeaching the president.
Despite these investigations, Biden, who will take office in January 2021, has consistently asserted his son’s innocence.
While he was a candidate, Biden confirmed during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary debate in 2019 that neither he nor his son had engaged in any “misconduct” related to Hunter’s prior work in Ukraine.
“My son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong,” Biden said at the time. “I have implemented the policy of the United States government, which is to root out corruption in Ukraine, and that should be our focus.”
In 2020, when asked by Fox News, “Are you confident your son Hunter did nothing wrong?”
“I believe so,” responded then-candidate Biden.
He also stated in 2020 that Hunter was “the smartest person I know”.
That same year, in December 2020, Biden shared with “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert that he and his wife, Jill, had “strong faith in our son.”
“I’m not concerned about any of the allegations against him. They’re meant to target me. I think it’s fair play, but look, it is what it is,” Biden commented at the time.
This year, in an MSNBC interview, he was asked about the ongoing investigation by the DOJ and how it might affect his presidency.
“First and foremost, my son has done nothing wrong. I believe in him, I have confidence in him, and I’m proud of his impact on my presidency,” Biden said in an interview in May.
In June, after the plea deal was revealed, the White House released a brief statement on the matter.
“The president and first lady love their son and will stand by him as he continues to rebuild his life. No further comment will be provided,” spokesman Ian Sams said.
Further negotiations between federal prosecutors and Hunter’s defense team stalled after the government acknowledged he was under federal investigation.
Garland confirmed Friday that the investigation is ongoing. The Department of Justice, in a press release, cited Weiss United States v. Robert Hunter has indicated that he will serve as special counsel for the investigation and prosecutions referred to and described in Biden. arises from that inquiry.”
This wording keeps the door open for the possibility that other members of the Biden family, potentially even the president himself, could be involved in this investigation. When questioned whether President Biden is under investigation as part of this inquiry, a Department of Justice official chose not to comment.
House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, strongly criticized Weiss’ appointment in a statement issued through a spokesperson.
“David Weiss cannot be relied upon, and this is merely a fresh attempt to gloss over the Biden family’s misconduct. Weiss has already endorsed a lenient plea agreement that was so problematic and unjust that a federal judge rejected it. We will persist in examining the facts revealed by courageous whistleblowers, along with Weiss’s inconsistent statements to Congress,” stated Russell Dye, spokesperson for Jordan.