Hunter Biden's prosecutor David Weiss to be questioned by Congress
Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss will be questioned in Congress behind closed doors as Republicans probe allegations of politicization during his investigation into the president's son. Weiss - who is the lead criminal investigator into Hunter Biden's gun and tax crimes - was appointed special counsel in August after new testimony from IRS whistleblowers alleged the department engaged in preferential treatment for the president's son.
A source familiar confirmed to DailyMail.com that Weiss will sit for a transcribed interview behind closed doors on November 7. Weiss charged Hunter last month with three felony counts related to lying on a federal gun application form while under the influence of drugs. He faces up to 25 years in prison. The president's son pleaded not guilty at his initial court hearing. The guilty plea comes after what Republicans called a 'sweetheart' plea deal - that would have seen Joe Biden 's son avoid jail time - collapsed this summer.
The Department of Justice had previously accepted an invitation from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan for Weiss to testify at a 'public hearing' in September or October. 'The Department is ready to offer U.S. Attorney Weiss to testify shortly after Congress returns from the August district work period,' says a letter obtained by DailyMail.com from Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte to Jordan, R-Ohio, from July. Uriarte wrote that the DOJ is concerned about 'misrepresentations' about its work on the Hunter Biden investigation.
Over the summer, two IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler testified under oath that Hunter Biden received 'special' treatment in the investigation into his financial dealings led by Weiss. They said that Hunter's tax charges should have been a felony, but that political pressures led to the first son's 'sweetheart deal' instead. Republicans including Jordan have pointed out discrepancies between Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Attorney Weiss' public statements on the Hunter Biden case and who had 'full authority' to charge the president's son.
Ziegler and Shapley testified that Weiss asked U.S. Attorney for D.C. Matthew Graves to bring 'felony and misdemeanor tax' charges against the president's son. But after Graves refused, Weiss threw out the potential felony charges and struck a plea deal with the president's son that did not include any jail time. Hunter is expected in court Wednesday for the plea deal to be made official. 'I watched U.S. Attorney [David] Weiss tell a room full of senior FBI and IRS senior leaders on October 7, 2022, that he was not the deciding person on whether charges were filed,' Shapley said, contradicting Weiss' previous public statements.
'If the Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss followed DOJ policy as he stated in his most recent letter, Hunter Biden should have been charged with a tax felony, and not only the tax misdemeanor charge,' said Ziegler. 'We need to treat each taxpayer the same under the law.' Graves has denied allegations that he contributed to improper political interference during the federal investigation into Hunter Biden. According to a transcript reviewed by DailyMail.com, Graves said he was 'surprised' by the allegation by the whistleblowers that his office blocked a request by Weiss to bring charges against Hunter. The allegations were 'not consistent with my recollection,' Graves told congressional investigators on October 3.
Weiss also sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee attempting to clarify his role in the probe and insisted that he actually holds the 'ultimate authority' in the criminal gun and tax case against the president's son. He explained that as the U.S. attorney for Delaware, his charging authority is normally 'geographically limited' to that district - but said that Attorney General Merrick Garland had promised to grant him special attorney status to bring charges anywhere. However, Garland said that Weiss was free 'to make a decision to prosecute any way in which he wanted to and in any district in which he wanted to.'
DOJ attempted to clear up the discrepancies in the letter to Jordan. 'While testimony at this early juncture must be appropriately limited to protect the ongoing matter and important confidentiality interests, the Department acknowledges your stated interest in addressing aspects of this matter in the near term, such as U.S. Attorney Weiss’s authority and jurisdiction to bring charges wherever he deems appropriate.' Read the full story:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12654463/Hunter-Bidens-prosecutor-David-Weiss-face-grilling-Republicans-Congress-November-7-date-set-closed-door-interview-special-counsel-faces-accusations-Joes-son-received-special-treatment.html?ito=msngallery
Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page here and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.