In a bombshell report released Monday night, Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss outlined the findings of his investigation into allegations of criminal conduct involving Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden. The report, submitted to Attorney General Merrick Garland, offers a harsh critique of Hunter Biden’s tax evasion, firearms violations, and questionable business dealings spanning an eleven-year period.
Appointed as Special Counsel in 2023, Weiss conducted a thorough investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial and legal activities. The report highlights two significant cases in which Hunter Biden was prosecuted and convicted—one for failing to pay taxes and another for illegally possessing a firearm while being addicted to drugs.
Any further prosecution was rendered untenable when President Biden granted a broad pardon to his son dating back 11 years to 2014 just days before Hunter was scheduled to be sentenced. This pardon has protected Hunter Biden from additional legal risks and has drawn criticism from Weiss. In his report, the Special Counsel said, “The President’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong.” Weiss also pointedly accused the president of politicizing the justice system, though he and most other Democrats have claimed that President-elect Donald Trump will do so.
“Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,” the report stated. “These prosecutions were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics. Eight judges across numerous courts have rejected claims that they were the result of selective or vindictive motives. Calling those rulings into question and injecting partisanship into the independent administration of the law undermines the very foundation of what makes America’s justice system fair and equitable. It erodes public confidence in an institution that is essential to preserving the rule of law.”
Weiss addressed concerns regarding the business dealings of the Biden family, but his report refrains from making any further criminal referrals because of the pardon. However, he highlighted the troubling implications of Hunter Biden using his family name to obtain lucrative positions, such as a board seat with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Weiss concluded his report by defending the integrity of his investigation in response to accusations of bias. “Regardless of whether Congressional Republicans attempted to influence the Executive Branch, there is no evidence that they were successful in doing so and, in any event, the Executive Branch prosecuting Defendant was at all relevant times (and still is) headed by Defendant’s father,” Weiss wrote.
