The Department of Justice's decision to appoint a United States attorney as special counsel in its investigation into Hunter Biden has drawn the ire of Republicans and investigators, who remain uncertain if he will be thorough enough in his pursuit of justice.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Friday that he had appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss as the special counsel in the Hunter Biden affairs. The attorney was selected due to the "extraordinary circumstances" related to the events and the fact that it is in the "public interest," Garland said.
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Former President Donald Trump appointed Weiss as the U.S. attorney for the United States District Court for the District of Delaware during his term. Weiss has been involved in the investigation of Hunter Biden since 2019.
Here are the top three things you need to know about Weiss' appointment and the investigation into Hunter Biden.
Republicans unhappy with Weiss
Several Republicans quickly moved to slam Weiss's appointment and his role in the investigation since Weiss requested such authority.
"This action by Biden's DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn't get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel? House Republicans will continue to pursue the facts for the American people."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) alleged that Weiss's appointment will "create more problems than answers." House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) argued that the decision was just an attempt by Garland to "block info from Congress while claiming they're investigating."
Presidential candidates also had something to say on the matter. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) told supporters on Friday that he thought Hunter would be in jail if he were a Republican, implying hypocrisy on the part of the Department of Justice. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley noted that voters are not worried about either Hunter Biden or Trump's legal issues, but they were concerned about "distrust in the federal government" alongside many other topics.
Appointee could complicate House inquiries
Several leading members of the House Judiciary Committee are skeptical that Weiss will be thorough in his investigation of Biden and that he would offer favorable treatment to Hunter based on prior conduct. House Judiciary Committee members requested in July to speak with Weiss and Lesley Wolf, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Delaware office, among other Justice Department officials. IRS whistleblowers had claimed Wolf, in particular, took steps to shut down lines of inquiry that might have involved Joe Biden or his son.
The committee pointed to the expected conclusion of the Hunter Biden investigation in late July as a reason for the DOJ to make their officials available, specifically due to a plea deal Weiss had organized before it failed in court.
"David Weiss can't be trusted, and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family's corruption. Weiss has already signed off on a sweetheart plea deal that was so awful and unfair that a federal judge rejected it," Russell Dye, a spokesman for Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, said in a statement.
Timelines are unclear
Prosecutors in Hunter Biden's trial said in a filing on Friday that the negotiations around Hunter Biden's case are "at an impasse," which would likely mean that the president's son will still be heading toward a criminal trial, but not in Delaware. The trial will most likely occur in Washington, D.C., or the central district of California, where the initial crimes that led to Hunter Biden's charges arose.
A special counsel appointment doesn't guarantee an expedited, or slower, process, as seen by the other investigations unfolding involving them.
Separate inquiries into Trump, led by special counsel Jack Smith, have moved along at a rapid pace since he was appointed in November 2022. Smith has filed two indictments of the former president, and the judge presiding over the investigation into election interference in 2020, resulting in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, appears poised to move the trial ahead rapidly.
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On the other hand, the investigation into Joe Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents, led by Robert Hur, has taken more time. Garland appointed Hur to lead the look into instances of classified documents from Joe Biden's time as a senator and vice president being found in an office and at his Delaware home in January.
On Friday, Joe Biden's attorneys were reportedly in talks with prosecutors to iron out parameters for an interview with the president.