Prosecutor who investigated Hunter Biden denounces criticism from the president

The special counsel who led a years-long investigation into Joe Biden’s son Hunter has criticized the president for making “unfounded allegations” about the case and defended his investigation in a final report.

In the report, released Monday, David Weiss called the prosecution of the president’s son for tax and gun crimes “impartial” and “nonpartisan policy.”

Hunter Biden’s attorney said the report showed Weiss’ investigation “was a warning about abuse of prosecutorial power.”

Biden issued an official pardon for his son, who was facing sentencing in two criminal cases, in early December.

In granting the pardon, the president said his son had been “singled out” and called his cases “a miscarriage of justice” and “crude politics.”

Weiss called those statements “gratuitous and incorrect.”

“I prosecuted both cases against (Hunter) Biden because he violated the law,” he wrote in his report.

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in early September and was found guilty of taking illegal drugs while possessing a firearm in June.

His father’s full and unconditional pardon for his son came after the president repeatedly said he would not grant him clemency.

This is not the first time that an American president has pardoned a family member.

Bill Clinton pardoned his younger half-brother, Roger Clinton, in 2001 for a cocaine-related crime in 1985.

In 2020, Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of tax evasion and illegal payments of campaign donations in 2005.

In his report, Mr. Weiss acknowledged this, but added: “none have taken the opportunity to defame public servants of the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.”

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine counts of federal tax fraud in September, for which he faced up to 17 years in prison.

He was also convicted of three felonies related to gun purchases in June, for which he faced up to 25 years in prison.

Investigations into the president’s son had resurfaced uncomfortable and embarrassing details about his personal life, including his crack addiction and alleged payments to escorts.

President Biden had remained largely silent during the investigations into his son, but came fiercely to his defense in pardoning him.

“There has been an effort to break Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years, even in the face of relentless attacks and targeted prosecution,” President Biden said.

“In trying to break Hunter, they have tried to break me, and there is no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

He added: “I hope Americans understand why a father and a president made this decision.”

The pardon covers the period from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024, “including, but not limited to,” the tax and firearms offenses for which he was convicted.

Weiss said that because of that unconditional pardon, he could not make any “additional impeachment decisions” related to Hunter Biden during that period.

“It would be inappropriate to discuss whether additional charges are warranted,” he said.

Weiss previously defended his investigation into the president’s son.

In 2023, told the House Judiciary Committee There was never political pressure or interference in his work from the Department of Justice.

Weiss’s investigation into Hunter Biden came under intense scrutiny on both sides of the political spectrum.

Democrats said it was politically charged and felt Hunter Biden had an unfair target on his back.

Republicans believed the Justice Department was not pursuing charges aggressively enough and showing the president’s son unfair favoritism.

Hunter Biden’s guilty convictions came after a plea deal fell through in 2023.

A judge refused to approve the deal, which Republicans had called an “attractive deal,” that would have had Hunter Biden plead guilty to tax evasion charges to avoid more serious gun charges.

In a statement released Monday, Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, criticized Weiss for the failed deal.

“Mr. Weiss also fails to explain why he reneged on his own agreement, a reversal that came at the last minute in court as he and his office faced blistering attacks from Republicans,” Lowell said.