Attorney General Merrick Garland’s move to elevate U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss to special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation sits against the backdrop of multiple GOP investigations, puts the focus back on two IRS whistleblowers and comes as a plea deal for Biden over tax issues has evaporated.
Garland made the surprise announcement on Friday and was immediately met with Republican backlash and plenty of questions.
Here are four things to know in light of the announcement.
Garland’s announcement comes as the House GOP intensifies multiple probes into issues surrounding Hunter Biden, which were further fueled by testimony from two IRS whistleblowers who criticized how Weiss and the Department of Justice (DOJ) handled the tax crimes investigation into the president’s son.
IRS investigators Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler claimed the Justice Department slow-walked the Hunter Biden investigation, gave him preferential treatment, and declined to pursue charges in California and Washington, D.C., where there was stronger evidence.
The whistleblowers also alleged Weiss sought and was denied special counsel status. Both Weiss and Garland have denied he did so, saying that if he desired a special prosecutorial status, it would be approved.
Shapley and Ziegler gave closed-door interviews to the House Ways and Means Committee in May and early June, and their testimony was made public in late June after news that Hunter...
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