US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to reporters ahead of the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) at the US Capitol on July 14, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — After more than two years of demanding that the Justice Department appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden, Republicans in Congress finally got their wish Friday. And they were furious.
Reactions from the GOP began pouring in within minutes of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s announcement Friday of a special counsel to oversee the criminal investigation of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
“If Weiss negotiated the deal that won’t be approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. tweeted shortly after the announcement.
McCarthy said the decision to appoint David Weiss, a Delaware federal prosecutor appointed by former President Donald Trump to lead the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden, “cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the corruption of the Biden family.”
Special counsels occupy a unique position within the legal system. They traditionally operate outside the Justice Department’s chain of command and the congressional oversight that comes with it. Special counsels are required to produce final reports on the results of their investigations for the attorney general, but they are not required to keep Congress or the Justice Department updated on the status of their work.
The appointment of the special counsel comes as Republicans in Congress are stepping up political attacks and investigations into the Biden family ahead of the 2024 election. Republicans have argued that a special counsel investigation would effectively cover up around the evidence they are looking for.
The plea agreement called for Biden to plead guilty to two counts of failing to pay his taxes in exchange for prosecutors recommending a sentence of probation and the dismissal of a separate gun charge for two years. . The agreement was thrown out earlier this month after a judge determined that the agreements contained “some atypical provisions.”
“The fix is in,” said a PAC supporting former President Donald Trump, Make America Great Again Inc.
“David Weiss has Hunter Biden cut an unprecedented plea deal that attempted to give Joe Biden’s corrupt son blanket immunity,” MAGA Inc. said. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement.
“Now, Merrick Garland expects us to trust Weiss to be the Special Counsel who will finally bring Hunter Biden to justice,” Leavitt said.
A White House spokeswoman referred CNBC to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee is jointly looking into the federal probe of the younger Biden’s taxes, also accused the DOJ of a “Biden family cover-up.”
“Let’s clarify what the motion is today,” Comer said in a statement. “The Biden Justice Department is trying to stonewall congressional oversight while we present the evidence to the American people.”
A spokesperson for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who led the investigating the federal probe of Hunter Biden, Weiss said “cannot be trusted.“
“This is just another way to whitewash the corruption of the Biden family,” Russell said Dyoua spokesman for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who led the investigating the federal probe of Hunter Biden.
Dye said the committee still expects the Justice Department to cooperate fully with Republicans. investigation in Hunter Biden’s plea deal, “includes not interfering with 11 transcribed interviews” requested.
Besides, Weiss earlier offer to appear before the committee this fall is presumed to be still valid, said Dye. As of Friday, the panel had not received anything from the DOJ “indicating that it is no longer prepared to do so.”
