The News
A Trump-appointed U.S. attorney who had been investigating Hunter Biden was appointed as special counsel in the case by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday. Weiss had requested special counsel status on Tuesday.
The moves comes as more Republicans had called for the appointment of a special counsel, which was fueled by what they said was a “sweetheart” plea deal for Biden earlier this summer. That deal collapsed after further scrutiny from a Delaware federal judge.
There are now three special counsels, each of whom are investigating a former U.S. president, a sitting U.S. president, and his son.
We’ve curated insights on Weiss’ appointment as special counsel in what is already a highly politicized case.
Insights
- Some Republicans don’t believe Weiss is the right man to handle this job. A spokesperson for Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a staunch Trump ally, said they ”don’t believe Weiss can be trusted.” The question now is whether Congress will want Weiss to still testify before Congress in September or October now that he is a special counsel. — Fox News
- Since being appointed, Weiss has already requested a change of venue to Washington, D.C. or California, where Biden allegedly committed his tax crimes, Politico reported. Trump supporters and conservative commentators are already denouncing the request, claiming juries in these courts will favor Biden.
- Weiss’ appointment may not be consistent with special counsel regulations, given that U.S. law requires someone outside government to serve as special counsel, argued former assistant U.S. attorney Andrew Weissmann.
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