Raw: [
- Special counsel Weiss tells Congress he wasn’t blocked in Biden probe The Washington Post
- Special counsel in Hunter Biden probe meets with House Republicans NBC News
- Special counsel in Hunter Biden probe rejects claims he was stymied from pursuing the case The Hill
] {Article Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/11/07/hunter-biden-weiss-testimony-congress/}
Accessibility statementSkip to main contentDemocracy Dies in DarknessSign inThe Washington PostDemocracy Dies in DarknessNational SecurityNational SecurityHunter Biden prosecutor David Weiss says Justice officials never blocked himIn rare testimony to Congress by a special counsel, the Delaware prosecutor defends the handling of the politically sensitive caseBy Devlin Barrett and Jacqueline AlemanyUpdated November 7, 2023 at 2:48 p.m. EST|Published November 7, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. ESTSpecial counsel David Weiss leaves a closed-door meeting with House lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the Hunter Biden investigation Tuesday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)Listen4 minShareComment on this storyCommentAdd to your saved storiesSaveDavid Weiss, the federal prosecutor tapped to serve as special counsel investigating Hunter Biden, testified Tuesday behind closed doors to a House committee, telling lawmakers that he has had full authority over the case and has not been overruled at any point by other Justice Department officials.Sign up for Fact Checker, our weekly review of what's true, false or in-between in politics.ArrowRightIt is highly unusual for the Justice Department to make a special counsel available for questioning by Congress before an investigation is complete. Weiss did so in large part to address lingering concerns raised by two IRS agents on the Biden case who earlier this year accused Weiss and other Justice Department officials of slow-walking their work. One of the agents said Weiss told him he wasn’t the decision-maker in the case.Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, has disputed that claim and did so again in his opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee.Advertisement“I am, and have been, the decision-maker on this case,” Weiss told the panel, according to a written copy of his opening remarks. “I do not, however, make these decisions in a vacuum. I am bound by federal law, the principles of federal prosecution and DOJ guidelines. As a result, there are processes that I must adhere to in making investigative and charging decisions. These processes did not interfere with my decision-making authority. At no time was I blocked, or otherwise prevented from pursuing charges or taking the steps necessary in the investigation by other United States Attorneys, the Tax Division or anyone else at the Department of Justice.”Backroom battles in Hunter Biden investigationCiting the IRS agents’ accounts, Republican lawmakers have accused the Justice Department under President Biden of stalling the politically sensitive investigation. On Tuesday, GOP committee members said they found Weiss’s account unconvincing, including his explanation of a proposed plea deal for Hunter Biden that ended up falling apart under questioning from a federal judge.“The important thing is that he has no answers for why he would offer a misdemeanor plea bargain with no jail time to someone who committed felonies and exclude all unknown or yet-to-be-investigated crimes,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). “It’s that lack of explanation that leads us to all the other questions of whether he was influenced by others or in consultation with others.”AdvertisementThe top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) said Weiss was a “strong witness” but called the session with him a “waste of time.”Share this articleShareNo transcript of the session was released Tuesday.Nadler said Weiss “was very clear that no one told him what to prosecute and what not to prosecute. He made all those decisions himself, and he said that before. And I mean, [Republicans] tried to get him to say anything, but they just go over and over and over again the same thing.”In his written testimony, Weiss warned the committee that there were many questions about the Hunter Biden case he would not answer, even behind closed doors, because the investigation and prosecution are ongoing. He promised to share more information when the case is finished.Weiss said there had been “misunderstandings about the scope of my authority to decide where, when, and whether to bring charges in this matter.”He also said his team of prosecutors “have made decisions based on the facts and the law. Political considerations played no part in our decision-making. Our analysis has been moored to the principles of federal prosecution, and going forward, my team and I will continue to abide by the same principles as we try to bring this matter to a just conclusion.”AdvertisementAttorney General Merrick Garland has long insisted that Weiss, a holdover from the Trump administration who launched the Hunter Biden probe in 2018, is fully authorized to oversee the investigation and make charging decisions. Both he and Weiss have disputed any claim otherwise by the whistleblowers.Weiss filed false-statement and illegal-gun-possession charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware this summer after the plea agreement collapsed, setting the stage for a possible trial next year. The alleged felonies relate to a revolver Biden bought in 2018, when by his own telling he was addicted to and abusing drugs.Shortly before that indictment, Weiss sought and was granted special-counsel authority by the Justice Department, which among other things makes it easier to also bring charges in other jurisdictions. He is considering bringing tax charges against Hunter Biden as well.Justice Department regulations require special counsels to file a report detailing their findings and decisions at the end of their work. The last two such reports — by special counsels Robert S. Mueller III and John Durham — were released publicly, albeit with some redactions.Share CommentsHunter BidenHAND CURATEDHunter Biden decries ‘weaponization’ of his drug addictionNovember 2, 2023Hunter Biden decries ‘weaponization’ of his drug addictionNovember 2, 2023Backroom battles between IRS agents, prosecutors in Hunter Biden tax caseOctober 3, 2023Backroom battles between IRS agents, prosecutors in Hunter Biden tax caseOctober 3, 2023Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to gun, false statement chargesOctober 3, 2023Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to gun, false statement chargesOctober 3, 2023View 3 more storiesLoading…TOP STORIESOpinions from our Editorial BoardViews from The Post’s Editorial Board on current eventsOpinion| Yes, the next GOP debate is worth watching. 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