Prosecutor Who Investigated Hunter Biden Defends Probes, Slams Joe Biden

David Weiss criticized President Joe Biden for pardoning his son.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The criminal charges against Hunter Biden “were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,” the prosecutor who led the probes said in a report released Monday that criticized President Joe Biden for having maligned the Justice Department when he pardoned his son.

“Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,” said the report from David Weiss, whose team filed gun and tax charges against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions that were subsequently wiped away by a presidential pardon.

The report is the culmination of years-long investigations into Hunter Biden that predated the arrival of Attorney General Merrick Garland but became among the most politically explosive inquiries of his entire tenure, capturing Republican fascination on Capitol Hill and ultimately producing a fissure between the Justice Department and the White House over the treatment of the president’s son.

The document, as is customary for reports prepared by Justice Department special counsels, provides a recap of the investigative findings. But it is most notable for its steadfast defense of the team’s work and for its sharp criticism of the president over remarks he made when pardoning his son last month.

Biden had repeatedly pledged that he would not pardon his son but contended that such an action was warranted because of what he called a “miscarriage of justice” and a selective prosecution. He said he believed that his son had been treated “differently” on account of his last name and that “raw politics” had infected the decision making of Weiss’ team.