Main Topic: Appointment of David Weiss as special counsel for the Hunter Biden probe
Key Points:
1. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss as special counsel for the Hunter Biden probe.
2. Weiss, who was already overseeing the probe, requested the special counsel title.
3. The appointment confirms Weiss's authority to conduct a thorough investigation independently.
Main Topic: The appointment of a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe creates challenges for President Joe Biden's re-election campaign.
Key Points:
1. The appointment distracts from Biden's message and draws attention away from Trump's legal problems.
2. Republicans may attempt to exploit Hunter Biden's predicament, similar to how they weaponized Hillary Clinton's private email server in 2016.
3. The investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings could tarnish President Biden's image and create potential pitfalls for Democrats.
Main Topic: Mike Pence welcomes newly appointed Hunter Biden special counsel and criticizes Justice Department under Trump administration.
Key Points:
1. Mike Pence welcomes the appointment of David Weiss as special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe.
2. Pence criticizes the Justice Department under the Trump administration for pushing a "political agenda."
3. Pence expresses confidence in Congress, particularly House Republicans, to continue investigating the Hunter Biden probe.
Special counsel overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden plans to seek a grand jury indictment of the president's son before the end of September, according to a court filing.
Special counsel David Weiss plans to indict Hunter Biden by the end of the month on a felony gun charge, following the collapse of a plea deal and ongoing disputes over a pretrial diversion agreement.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer criticized special counsel David Weiss for seeking to indict Hunter Biden on a gun charge, stating that it is the least of the crimes Biden has committed.
Special Counsel David Weiss assures a Delaware federal court that an indictment against Hunter Biden will be forthcoming by the end of the month, following the collapse of a plea agreement and concerns over a pretrial diversion agreement.
Despite facing mounting legal troubles, Hunter Biden appeared relaxed as he took a stroll in Malibu, just a day after Special Counsel David Weiss announced plans to seek an indictment against him for purchasing a gun while using drugs.
Republicans are continuing their investigations into Hunter Biden, with two IRS employees testifying privately about the federal probe into President Biden's son, raising concerns of interference from the Biden White House or Justice Department.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has not yet subpoenaed Hunter Biden due to the legal complexities, but indicated that he is open to Hunter Biden voluntarily testifying before the committee to clear his name.
An FBI agent involved in the Hunter Biden probe testified that the prosecutor leading it faced hurdles and lack of cooperation from other U.S. attorneys, but still had the authority to bring tax charges against Hunter Biden; the testimony comes amid investigations into the Biden family and Republicans' push for an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy predicts that Hunter Biden will be subpoenaed at the appropriate time as part of the impeachment probe into President Biden's family dealings, but emphasizes the need to follow facts and timing rather than media pressure.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has requested more information and documents related to the Justice Department's investigation into Hunter Biden, including an interview with special counsel David Weiss and interviews with other top DOJ officials, amidst allegations of mismanagement and slow progress in the case.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold its first hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Sept. 28, focusing on constitutional and legal questions surrounding his alleged involvement in corruption and abuse of public office, while also planning to subpoena the bank records of his son, Hunter Biden.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appears before the House Judiciary Committee, defending himself against Republican accusations that the Justice Department is protecting President Biden and his son Hunter Biden, while also facing questions about the investigation into Hunter Biden and the indictments against former President Trump.
Potential tax charges against Hunter Biden faced obstacles when federal prosecutors in California and Washington, D.C. declined to assist U.S. Attorney David Weiss in charging him, leading to frustration and concerns about the investigation's future, according to testimony from an IRS law enforcement official obtained by POLITICO.
IRS officials Michael Batdorf and Darrell Waldon testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, contradicting Attorney General Merrick Garland's claim that Special Counsel David Weiss had "full authority" over whether to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes, revealing that the Justice Department's Tax Division would also need to authorize charges.
The House Judiciary Committee is preparing to hear testimony from special counsel David Weiss and interview other Justice Department officials related to their investigation into Hunter Biden, with the goal of shedding light on claims that the Delaware US Attorney's office could have brought charges against the first son.
The House Oversight Committee's first hearing in the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden featured several false and misleading claims from Republican members, including claims about shell companies and payments to the Bidens, Hunter Biden's qualification to sit on the board of Burisma, the Justice Department's handling of a search warrant related to Hunter Biden, wire transfers to Hunter Biden from China, allegations of bribery involving Joe Biden and Burisma, Hunter Biden's failure to pay taxes, and a purported text message between James and Hunter Biden.
Donald Trump's former finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, is set to testify in a civil trial against Trump and the Trump Organization, revealing his role in preparing Trump's financial statements and allegations that he engineered them to increase Trump's net worth.
Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss sought special attorney authority to charge Hunter Biden in D.C., but his actions and testimony from D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves suggest that Weiss did not actually need this authority, leading to questions about why he pursued it and why he did not pursue charges in D.C.
