Special counsel David Weiss defended his investigation into Hunter Biden on Monday, rejecting US President Joe Biden’s claims of mistreatment in an attempt to target him.
In a new report, Weiss, the lead prosecutor in the probes, stated the gun and tax charges against the president’s son stemmed from impartial investigations, not politics.
President Biden pardoned his son last month, citing what he called a “miscarriage of justice” and selective prosecution. He stated his son was treated “differently” due to his last name.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said.
Weiss countered these claims directly. “The president’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong,” Weiss wrote.
Weiss emphasised that the prosecutions demonstrated equal application of the law. “Far from selective, these prosecutions were the embodiment of the equal application of justice — no matter who you are, or what your last name is, you are subject to the same laws as everyone else in the United States,” Weiss said. He also criticized the president for using the pardon to attack the Justice Department. He wrote that no other president had used a pardon to “malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.”
What were the charges against Hunter Biden?
The legal proceedings against Hunter Biden originated from his conviction in June 2023 on three felony charges concerning a firearm acquisition in 2018. He provided false information on his firearm application form regarding his substance use status. These charges emerged from an extensive investigation into his activities, which were connected to his substance dependency issues. The federal court pursued the case to conviction, despite the contextual circumstances.
Joe Biden offered support for his son’s situation, noting that similar cases typically avoid criminal prosecution, particularly when substance dependency is a factor. He mentioned that Hunter Biden has maintained sobriety for more than five years whilst facing these legal challenges.
In September 2024, Hunter Biden entered a guilty plea for nine tax-related offences, involving unpaid taxes exceeding $1.4 million from earnings he utilised for luxury expenditures, including escorts, substances, and vehicles. The investigation, which commenced in 2018, led to these charges. His defence team contended that he received disproportionate scrutiny from Republicans, with allegations that the prosecution was politically driven to undermine Joe Biden’s presidential aspirations. The presidential pardon nullified any potential imprisonment for these tax violations.
