Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) doesn’t suppose a lot of the appointment of U.S. Lawyer David Weiss as particular counsel for the Justice Division’s investigation into Hunter Biden, the president’s son.
Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland “knows Weiss will protect Hunter,” Blackburn scoffed in a social media put up on Saturday.
However Weiss’ appointment is strictly what she and different congressional Republicans requested. Particular counsel is identical designation Garland gave Jack Smith, at present prosecuting former President Donald Trump.
Final September, a gaggle of 31 Senate Republicans, together with Blackburn, requested particularly for Weiss to be appointed to supervise the probe to “provide additional assurances to the American people that the Hunter Biden investigation is free from political influence.” Weiss had already led the investigation into his enterprise dealings, which started below President Donald Trump.
Republicans on the Home facet despatched the same letter in April 2022, though they didn’t identify Weiss particularly. Blackburn and two different Republican senators reiterated their request for a particular counsel two months in the past.
Now that they’ve gotten their want, some are complaining.
This week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Ga.) slammed the appointment regardless of signing the letter final fall.
“This is a political decision by the Biden administration to fix their political problem. I think they poured gasoline on a political fire,” Graham informed NewsNation.
He added: “Mr. Weiss’ team needs to be replaced with a new set of eyes.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley supplied comparable criticism whereas talking with Fox Information after acknowledging that he additionally had signed the letter final yr.
“I have some questions about Weiss doing it,” Grassley mentioned.
Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested on social media that the appointment could be used to “whitewash the Biden family corruption.”
Home Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) echoed these phrases in an announcement to CNN: “David Weiss can’t be trusted, and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family’s corruption.”
It’s price noting that some Republicans — like former Vice President Mike Pence — have cheered the appointment, though they have been much less probably to take action overtly, in response to reporting by The New York Instances.
Others seem to have soured on Weiss as a result of he was the one who negotiated the plea cope with Biden that fell aside dramatically in courtroom earlier this summer time.
“If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?” McCarthy mentioned in his put up.
In late July, the president’s son walked right into a federal courthouse the place he was anticipated to plead responsible to misdemeanor tax fees as a part of an association with prosecutors to keep away from a felony gun cost. However he pleaded not responsible after U.S. District Decide Decide Maryellen Noreika questioned the language within the settlement. Republicans had reacted incredulously to information of the plea deal, claiming that Biden was being given preferential therapy.
Weiss’ appointment to particular counsel indicators the investigation could go to trial — probably in a yr when Joe Biden is operating for reelection.
