Hunter Biden Special Counsel Denies Political Meddling

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Facts

• Special counsel David Weiss, who oversees the investigation into US first son Hunter Biden, told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he has been the decision-maker in the case, dismissing claims of improper political meddling.¹
• While stressing during his transcribed, closed-door interview that he must indeed adhere to certain processes in making decisions as he is required to abide by federal law, the principles of prosecution, and Justice Department guidelines, Weiss asserted that he has never been blocked from pursuing charges.²
• This comes as he voluntarily testified before Congress to address alleged misunderstandings about the scope of his authority to bring charges in this matter, marking the first time that a special counsel has done such a thing in the middle of an investigation.³
• Republicans have sought for months answers about his authority over the Hunter probe, as several officials testified that he needed to partner with prosecutors to bring a case outside Delaware and that the Justice Department's (DOJ) Tax Division had to consent to the charges despite Attorney General Merrick Garland and Weiss himself arguing that he had 'ultimate authority.'⁴
• The Trump-appointed US attorney in Delaware — who began the investigation in 2018— was granted special counsel status in August after plea talks between the DOJ and Hunter related to tax and gun charges collapsed. Subsequently, Hunter was indicted in September for lying on federal firearm forms and illegally possessing a firearm while using illicit drugs, yet pleaded not guilty.⁵
• Meanwhile, NewsNation has reported that a source close to the House impeachment inquiry into Pres. Joe Biden claimed Republicans could subpoena Hunter and his uncle James as soon as this week.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²FOX News, ³NBC, ⁴New York Post, ⁵CNN and ⁶Newsnation.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Federalist. Despite Weiss reiterating the same story to Garland in an attempt to mislead Congress, testimonies from several US officials suggest that the special counsel does not hold ultimate decision-making power. There have been too many complaints about the Justice Department's meddling in the investigation not to believe that there's a cover-up underway to protect the Biden family.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by The new republic. At first, Republicans demanded Trump-appointed Weiss to be named special counsel to independently investigate Hunter Biden as if this would finally make their conspiracy theories true. As that hasn't been the case, they are now pretending that there is something malicious going on to protect the Biden family instead of accepting that they have nothing against Joe Biden.

Predictions