Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco are taking a hands-off approach to the Hunter Biden investigation, leaving charging decisions to David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware who is tasked with leading the probe, according to told Fox News.
Garland and Monaco are regularly informed of the status of the investigation into President Biden’s son. Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018.
The investigation is now being led by Weiss, a prosecutor appointed by former President Trump.
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Fox News first reported in July that the investigation had reached a “critical stage” and that federal prosecutors were weighing whether to charge Hunter Biden with various tax violations and foreign lobbying, false statements and more.
The investigation into Hunter is now being conducted by Delaware US Attorney David Weiss, a prosecutor appointed by former President Donald Trump.
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A source close to investigators told Fox News there is growing frustration that it is taking so long to make a decision in Delaware on whether to file charges against Hunter.
Fox News reported in July that the federal grand jury investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings concluded its final term in June and expired. A source, at the time, said no charges had been filed.
However, a former senior Justice Department official told Fox News on Thursday that the government does not need to have an active grand jury to bring charges as part of a plea deal.
That official also told Fox News that the new focus on the investigation, particularly by the media, suggests that a disposition, or resolution, may be “imminent” ahead of a possible House takeover by of the Republicans
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC
(Carolyn Kaster-Pool/Getty Images)
A spokesman for Weiss declined to comment on whether a new grand jury has been empaneled.
Fox News reported in July that Weiss and Justice Department officials were investigating whether to charge Hunter Biden with various tax violations and, more seriously, possible foreign lobbying violations. The source, at the time, said Hunter Biden could face off possible prosecution for false statements.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that a possible perjury charge could be related to whether he lied during a gun purchase in 2018.
Fox News first reported last year that police had responded in 2018 to an incident in which a gun owned by Hunter Biden was thrown into a trash can outside a market in Delaware.
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A source with knowledge of the October 23, 2018 police report told Fox News that it indicated Hallie Biden, the widow of President Biden’s late son Beau, who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, throw a weapon you own. by Hunter in a dumpster behind a market near a school.
A firearms transaction report reviewed by Fox News indicated that Hunter Biden purchased a gun earlier that month. In the firearms transaction report, Hunter Biden answered in the negative to a question asking if he was “an illegal user or addict of marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic or any other controlled substance?”
Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Chris Clark, told Fox News that it is a “federal crime for a federal agent to leak information about a grand jury investigation like this.”
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“Any officer you cite as a source in your article appears to have committed this crime,” Clark said. “We hope the Department of Justice will diligently investigate and prosecute such bad actors.”
Hunter Biden during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn on April 18, 2022.
(Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“As is appropriate and legally required, we believe that prosecutors in this case are diligently and thoroughly weighing not only the evidence provided by the officers, but also all other witnesses in this case, including the defense witnesses,” he said. continue Clark. “That’s the job of prosecutors. They shouldn’t be pressured, rushed or criticized to do their job.”
Clark added that “as the lead defense attorney in this case, I have had no contact with any federal investigative agents.”
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“Therefore, an ‘agent’ interpretation of the case is inherently biased, one-sided and inaccurate,” Clark said. “It is unfortunate that law enforcement officers appear to be breaking the law to harm a case against a person who is targeted simply because of their family name.”
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware declined to comment on possible charges.
Fox News first reported in December 2020 that Hunter Biden was a subject/target of the grand jury investigation, according to a well-placed government source. The federal investigation into Hunter Biden was prompted, in part, by suspicious activity reports about suspicious foreign transactions.
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President Biden has repeatedly denied discussing Hunter’s business ventures with him.
Fox News’ Bill Mears, Tyler Olson and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
