Yesterday, David Weiss, the US Attorney turned Special Counsel leading an investigation into Hunter Biden that has entered a sixth year, testified to the House Judiciary Committee.
His written statement debunked Gary Shapley’s claims about what he said in an October 7, 2022 meeting, as has the testimony of every other witness who attended the meeting, as well as US Attorneys Matthew Graves and Martin Estrada and (on other matters) Shapley’s supervisors and DOJ’s Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Tax Division, Stuart Goldberg.
Today, I am prepared to address the misunderstandings about the scope of my authority to decide where, when, and whether to bring charges in this matter. I do not intend to answer questions that could jeopardize the ongoing litigation, our investigations, or the rights of defendants or other individuals involved in these matters.
I am, and have been, the decision maker on this case. I do not, however, make these decisions in a vacuum. I am bound by federal law, the principles of federal prosecution and DOJ guidelines. As a result, there are processes that I must adhere to in making investigative and charging decisions. These processes did not interfere with my decision-making authority. At no time was I blocked, or otherwise prevented from pursuing charges or taking the steps necessary in the investigation by other United States Attorneys, the Tax Division or anyone else at the Department of Justice.
NYT reported that Weiss is fed up with Republican interference in his case.
That Mr. Weiss spoke to the committee before issuing a final report on the investigation reflected his mounting frustration with House Republicans, according to people close to him, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Given Weiss’ insistence that “the career prosecutors on my team and I have made decisions based on the facts and the law” — a common incantation from Abbe Lowell — Weiss may also worry that Republican efforts have surfaced so much evidence that provides Lowell means to cast doubt on that.
Even though Weiss added to all the testimony debunking his conspiracy theories, Jim Jordan nevertheless ran to the frothy media with his attempt to spin some new scandal out of the testimony — this time that DOJ required Weiss to consult with the US Attorneys in DC and LA before asking for Special Attorney status.
Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told reporters that Weiss said he initially requested special attorney status in spring 2022 from the Justice Department’s principal assistant deputy attorney general, but was not granted it.
“When he was specifically asked, ‘Did you ever request special attorney authority under Section 515?’ Mr. Weiss’ response was, ‘Yes, in the spring of 2022,’” Jordan said.
Merrick Garland has already explained that, publicly, to Jordan’s committee, with Jordan sitting in the room.
It is the normal process of the department is that a US Attorney in one district wants to bring a case in another, they go and consult. It’s perfectly appropriate. They do that in order to determine what the policies are in that district, what the practices are, what the judges are like in that district.
Given what we know from the abundant testimony in this pursuit, neither DC nor Los Angeles’ US Attorney’s offices decided to partner with Weiss on a case against Hunter Biden (the decision was made in both districts by senior career prosecutors, not the Biden appointees). There is reason to believe that all entities, including DOJ Tax attorneys, let Weiss proceed, but did not enthusiastically endorse the proposed charges against Hunter Biden. Estrada, for example, pointed to resource concerns. but also the Justice Manual that DOJ,
only prosecute cases where we believe a Federal offense has been committed and where we believe there will be sufficient admissible evidence to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt to an unbiased trier of fact.
These are the same principles of prosecution that Weiss mentioned in his statement, principles that say if you can’t prove a case, you don’t charge it.
But in spite of CDCA’s decision not to partner with Delaware, Weiss’ prosecutors had been granted Special AUSA status in Los Angeles even before Estrada was confirmed in September 2022 (and so a month before Gary Shapley had his meltdown), and Weiss and Estrada spoke as recently as September 19 of this year, suggesting ongoing matters in Los Angeles.
Mostly, though, members who attended Weiss’ interview complained that it was “tedious” and a “waste of time.”
Which is why it matters that even as Jim Jordan was blowing six hours on his already debunked conspiracy theories, Republicans were continuing to fail at their most basic job: funding government.
The clock is ticking. Mike Johnson’s House now has less than ten days to fund government, and he still hasn’t decided how he’ll do that.
All these Republicans know how to do — all they care to do — is keep sniffing Hunter Biden’s dick pics. That’s all they’ve done since they got a majority.
And meanwhile, they refuse to do their most basic job.