With the appointment of David Weiss as special counsel for the Hunter Biden investigation, announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday, the U.S. attorney now has more power in his inquiry.
Weiss, who was already in charge of the investigation, asked for the special counsel title on Tuesday, according to Garland.
This appointment, according to Garland, “confirms my commitment to give Mr. Weiss all the resources he requests.” Additionally, it “reaffirms that Mr. Weiss has the necessary authority to carry out a comprehensive investigation and to continue to take the independent actions he deems appropriate, based only on the facts and the law.”
Weiss began serving as the U.S. attorney for Delaware in 2018. He was appointed by then-President Donald Trump in 2017. According to his DOJ profile, the job came after assignments as the first assistant U.S. attorney, acting U.S. attorney, and interim U.S. attorney there.
Weiss is one of the few U.S. attorneys who remained in office after Joe Biden was elected president. According to Garland, he will continue in that capacity even after accepting the additional special counsel position. The principal federal prosecutors in each region are called U.S. attorneys.
Weiss has not been immune from the wrath of the former president despite being selected by Trump.
“If this special counsel is truly independent, he will quickly determine that Joe Biden, his distressed son Hunter, and their enablers, including the media, who colluded with the 51 intelligence officials who intentionally misled the public about Hunter’s laptop, should face the necessary consequences,” a Trump spokesperson said. “Even though he didn’t bring the proper charges after a four-year investigation and he appears to be attempting to move the case to a more Democrat-friendly venue.”
According to his biography on the website of the Justice Department, Weiss began his professional life as a law clerk for Justice Andrew D. Christie on the Delaware Supreme Court in 1984. Additionally, he has worked for Duane Morris and The Siegfried Group in the private sector.
Weiss is the third special counsel hired by Garland, following Jack Smith in November 2022 and Robert Hur in January 2023. Jack Smith is looking into how Biden handled classified documents after he left his position as vice president, and Robert Hur is looking into how Trump handled classified documents and his role in attempting to sway the 2020 election.
In his remarks, Garland stated that “Mr. Weiss’ appointment reinforces for the American people the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in especially delicate matters.” “I have every faith that Mr. Weiss will discharge his duties with fairness, haste, and in accordance with the highest standards of this department.”