Chuck Grassley: ‘It’s about time’ for Hunter Biden special counsel

DES MOINES — Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Friday he welcomes the appointment of a special counsel for the investigation into Hunter Biden, the president’s son, but said he has reservations about the person selected for the post.

“It’s about time” for the naming of a special counsel, Grassley told reporters at the Iowa State Fair.

But Grassley said he has concerns about political bias in the U.S. Justice Department and the appointment of U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware as the special counsel.

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Weiss, a U.S. attorney appointed by former President Donald Trump, was already leading an investigation into Hunter Biden about alleged unpaid federal taxes and an alleged gun possession crime. A plea deal between the prosecution and Hunter Biden’s attorneys fell apart last month when a judge rejected the deal.

In September 2022, Grassley called for Weiss to be appointed special counsel, and he and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., sent a trove of bank records to Weiss, asking they be included in his investigation.

“I have some questions about Weiss doing it, because Johnson and I sent all of this material we had … in regard to the payments that were made to Hunter Biden, and we don't know what they did with them," Grassley said.

The appointment will give Weiss an extra layer of independence from the U.S. Justice Department and requires that he provide a report to the attorney general after the investigation is completed.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday he intends to make much of that report public.

“This appointment confirms my commitment to provide Mr. Weiss all the resources he requests,” Garland said when he announced the appointment. “It also reaffirms that Mr. Weiss has the authority he needs to conduct a thorough investigation and to continue to take the steps he deems appropriate independently, based only on the facts and the law.”

Prosecutors in the case said Friday that plea deal talks in Hunter Biden’s tax case have broken down, and it will likely go to trial.

Grassley said he hopes Weiss’ appointment as special counsel does not delay Hunter Biden’s trial.

“Is a special counsel set up to interfere with going to a trial right away, or is there some other reason for doing it?” he said. “And since this administration has exemplified so much political bias in the FBI and the Department of Justice, I think there’s a reason to raise questions.”

Comments: cmccullough@qctimes.com