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Special Counsel Weiss Defends Hunter Biden Investigation in Final Report
The Justice Department has made public the conclusive findings of special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden.
In the report delivered to Congress, Weiss affirmed his decision to prosecute Hunter Biden on tax and firearms charges following the collapse of negotiations with his legal team. The special counsel explicitly countered criticisms from President Biden regarding the integrity of the investigation.
Weiss’s lengthy investigation culminated in a jury’s guilty verdict on felony gun charges in a Delaware federal court and a guilty plea to multiple tax offenses in California. In December, President Biden granted a pardon to his son, framing the charges as politically motivated—a characterization that faced bipartisan backlash.
“The President’s statements unfairly impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel but also of public servants who make these challenging decisions in good faith,” Weiss stated in his report. “The President’s claims do not align with the facts of this case and fundamentally misrepresent the situation.”
He emphasized that questioning judicial rulings and introducing partisanship into law enforcement jeopardizes the underpinnings of a fair justice system. “It undermines public trust in an institution that is crucial for upholding the rule of law,” Weiss added.
In defense of his prosecution choices, which some congressional Republicans labeled as lenient toward Hunter Biden, Weiss wrote, “I concluded that both the tax offenses and the gun offenses met the Principles of Federal Prosecution.”
In 2023, Hunter Biden faced charges for allegedly falsifying information on a gun application concerning his drug use and, in a separate matter, was indicted on three felony tax charges plus six misdemeanors, including failure to file and pay taxes, tax evasion, and submitting false returns. Prosecutors claimed he neglected to pay over $1.4 million in federal taxes while leading a lavish lifestyle.
“Both cases were proved beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in a lawful jury verdict and an admission of guilt. Throughout my decision-making processes, I remained unmoved by political pressures,” Weiss asserted.
During the investigation, IRS agents involved with the tax case publicly expressed concerns about what they termed special treatment afforded to Hunter Biden. They reported ongoing hindrances since the Trump administration that obstructed conventional investigative procedures.
“As an IRS Criminal Investigation special agent, it’s imperative we enforce the law consistently for everyone,” Gary Shapley, a 14-year veteran of the agency, said in a CBS News interview. “Unfortunately, that did not occur in this instance.”
Despite these claims, both the Justice Department and Weiss denied any favoritism in the investigation.
In a letter directed to Garland, included in the report, Hunter Biden’s legal team reiterated their criticisms of the investigation’s initiation and management, asserting their arguments about the prosecution’s conduct. Weiss rebutted their stance, stating, “These are not mere ‘technical’ tax code violations. The prosecution was justified based on the gravity of Mr. Biden’s tax offenses.”
Addressing concerns regarding the firearm charges, Weiss noted that data from the Justice Department indicates these charges are prosecuted more frequently than more than 90% of other firearm offenses between 2008 and 2017.
Garland’s communication to Congress stated that Weiss had submitted his report a few days prior and indicated that there were no instances during the investigation requiring his intervention for policy infractions.
The report also reviewed Weiss’s inquiry into Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to lying to agents and fabricating allegations about the Bidens. Smirnov was sentenced to a six-year prison term earlier this month.
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Robert Legare is a CBS News multiplatform reporter and producer covering the Justice Department, federal courts, and investigations. He previously served as an associate producer for the “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell.”
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