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The special counsel who led the years-long investigation into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has criticized the president for making “baseless” allegations in the case and defended his investigation in a final report.
In the report, which was released Monday, David Weiss called the president’s son’s impeachment on gun and tax issues “non-partisan” and “non-political”.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer said the report showed Mr Weiss’ investigation was “a cautionary tale about the abuse of prosecutorial power.”
Biden pardoned his son, who is facing two criminal charges, in early December.
While handing out the pardon, the president said his son was “elected” and called his crimes “unfair” and “politically motivated”.
Mr Weiss called the statement “absurd and wrong”.
“I prosecuted these two cases [Hunter] Biden because he broke the law,” he wrote in his report.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax evasion in early September, and was convicted of drug and gun possession charges in June.
The father’s pardon of his son came after the president repeatedly said he would not show him mercy.
This is not the first time that the president of the US has pardoned his family member.
Bill Clinton pardoned his younger brother, Roger Clinton, for a 1985 cocaine-related crime in 2001.
In 2020, Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter, Ivanka, who was accused of tax evasion and illegal donations in 2005.
In his report, Mr. Weiss acknowledged this, but added: “no one took this opportunity as an opportunity to disparage public servants at the Department of Justice for false pretenses”.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine counts of tax fraud in September, serving a 17-year prison sentence.
He was also convicted of three gun-related charges in June, for which he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The search for the president’s son also brought up unpleasant and embarrassing aspects of his life, including drug and alcohol abuse. payment to escorts.
President Biden has mostly kept quiet during the investigation into his son but has come to his defense by pardoning him.
“There has been an effort to deal with Hunter – who has been sober for five and a half years, despite the incontrovertible protests and criminal charges,” President Biden said.
“By trying to break Hunter, they’re going to try to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it’s going to stop here. Enough.”
He added: “I hope the American people will understand why the father and the president would make this decision.”
The amnesty covers the period from 1 January 2014 to 1 December 2024, “including but not limited to” tax and firearms convictions.
Mr. Weiss said that because of the unconditional amnesty, he could not make “any additional decisions” about Hunter Biden at that time.
“It would be inappropriate to discuss whether additional charges are warranted,” he said.
Mr. Weiss has previously defended his inquiries about the president’s son.
In 2023, he told the Parliamentary Affairs Committee there has been no political pressure or interference from the Department of Justice.
Mr Weiss’s research on Hunter Biden has been widely scrutinized across the political spectrum.
Democrats say he was accused of political fraud and feel that Hunter Biden had a target on his back.
Republicans believe that the Justice Department is not prosecuting the cases vigorously and unfairly exposing the president’s son.
Hunter Biden’s criminal convictions came after the verdict that fell in 2023.
A judge refused to approve the deal — which Republicans called a “deal of love” — if Hunter Biden would have pleaded guilty to tax evasion to avoid serious gun-related charges.
In a statement released Monday, Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, criticized Weiss for her failure.
“Mr. Weiss also fails to explain why he rejected his contract, a change that came at the 11th hour in court when he and his office faced Republican attacks,” Lowell said.
