U.S. Attorney David Weiss holds a press conference at his regional office in Wilmington, Delaware, Thursday, May 3, 2018.
Suchat Pederson | News Journal via AP
Washington — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that Delaware federal prosecutor David Weiss, who has led the criminal investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, said: hunter bidenwill be appointed as the special prosecutor for the case.
Garland said Weiss, who was appointed as a federal attorney by former President Donald Trump in 2018, asked to be appointed special counsel earlier this week. Weiss launched an investigation into Hunter Biden in 2019.
“After considering his request and the unusual circumstances surrounding this matter, we have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as a special counsel,” Garland said at a press conference at the Justice Department.
At about the same time Garland announced a special counsel investigation into the president’s son, federal prosecutors said in a new court filing that a plea bargain with Hunter Biden’s lawyers had reached a “stalemate.” revealed inside.
“The government now believes that this case cannot be resolved without a trial,” they wrote in the Delaware federal filing.
Two people familiar with the matter told NBC News that the White House was not notified of Garland’s announcement in advance.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges last month after an initial agreement between his lawyers and federal prosecutors broke down. Biden, 53, was expected to plead guilty to tax misdemeanors.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Chris Clark, said in a statement obtained by NBC News, “When all these operations are over, my client will be determined and move on with his life. I’m sure it will,” he said.
Garland, who rose to the Justice Department’s top spot in 2021, has previously appointed two other special counsels.
Last November, Mr. Garland appointed Jack Smith as special counsel to conduct two investigations into Mr. Trump. The first was an inquiry into President Trump’s handling of classified documents after he stepped down as the nation’s top official, and the other was an inquiry into the former president’s role in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Earlier this year, Garland commissioned Robert Herr to investigate classified documents found in President Joe Biden’s office and residence. The intelligence documents have been in Biden’s possession since he was vice president under then-President Barack Obama.
Garland added that Weiss will continue to serve as Delaware’s attorney.
— Kevin Breuninger Contributed to this report from CNBC’s world headquarters in Inglewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that David Weiss was appointed to the post by then-President Trump in 2018 and launched an investigation into Hunter Biden in 2019. Previous versions incorrectly listed appointment and investigation schedules.