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Special Counsel David Weiss has publicly defended his handling of the Hunter Biden investigation in a final report concluding his multi-year inquiry into the president’s son.
Weiss condemned President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter Biden, who faced tax and gun charges in separate cases across two states.
Weiss began his report by emphasizing the legal basis for prosecuting Hunter Biden. “I prosecuted these cases because Mr. Biden broke the law,” he stated in the 280-page report.
Weiss highlighted that a jury unanimously convicted Hunter Biden on gun charges, while the president’s son pleaded guilty to tax offenses. “As I have done for twenty years, I applied the Principles of Federal Prosecution and determined that prosecution was warranted,” Weiss wrote.
However, Weiss sharply criticized President Biden’s November pardon of his son, which the president described as a response to “selective” and “politically motivated” charges. Biden called the cases a “miscarriage of justice.”
Weiss rejected this characterization, writing, “This statement is gratuitous and wrong. Other presidents have pardoned family members, but none have used it as an opportunity to malign public servants at the Department of Justice.”
Weiss underscored his impartial approach, stating, “I never considered whether my decisions would be viewed favorably by politicians. My decisions were based solely on the facts and the law.”
The investigation into Hunter Biden began when Weiss served as U.S. Attorney for Delaware. Amid Republican accusations of political interference, Weiss was later elevated to special counsel.
Republicans claimed Weiss delayed pursuing charges and faced obstacles in taking a more aggressive approach. Initially, Weiss attempted to finalize a plea deal with Hunter Biden on gun charges, but a judge rejected the deal due to questions about its scope.
Hunter Biden was later charged in Delaware for falsely denying drug use when purchasing a firearm. The rarely used charge led to a September conviction on all counts.
In California, Weiss charged Hunter Biden with failing to pay taxes on $7 million in income over four years, evading $1.4 million in taxes. The indictment revealed lavish spending on escorts, drugs, and luxury items. “Mr. Biden prioritized funding his extravagant lifestyle over paying his taxes,” Weiss noted.
Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to the tax charges, but his father intervened. On December 1, President Biden announced an unconditional pardon for his son.
The president argued that Hunter Biden was unfairly targeted due to his last name and fell victim to political attacks. “Raw politics infected this process, leading to a miscarriage of justice,” Biden stated. “I hope Americans understand why a father and President made this decision.”
Weiss countered claims from Hunter Biden that he faced “vindictive and selective” prosecution, pointing out that two district court judges dismissed those allegations. Despite Weiss’s insistence that his actions were apolitical, the investigation attracted intense congressional scrutiny.
Two IRS whistleblowers accused the Justice Department of avoiding more severe tax charges against Hunter Biden. The investigation also became central to a GOP-led impeachment inquiry into President Biden, focusing on unproven allegations that he and Hunter Biden accepted bribes from a Ukrainian oligarch.
Weiss brought additional charges against Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant who fabricated allegations against the Bidens. Smirnov pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The report concludes a contentious case that has fueled partisan debate and tested the boundaries of legal and political ethics.
