In the wake of last week's bombshell news that Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss to serve as special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, a lawyer for the beleaguered first son has indicated his belief that no new charges will be brought against his client, as The Hill reports.
High-powered D.C. lawyer Abbe Lowell, currently representing Hunter Biden, offered his insights during a weekend appearance on CBS' Face the Nation.
When questioned about the shift in Weiss' role from the U.S. attorney in charge of a probe originating in Delaware to a special counsel with broader investigative and jurisdictional authority, Lowell opined, “I'm confident that if this prosecutor does what has been done for the last five years, look at the facts, the evidence and the law, then the only conclusion can be what the conclusion was on July 26.”
The reference to July 26 related to the two misdemeanor tax charges to which Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty after a proposed compromise agreement fell apart under questioning from Judge Maryellen Noreika.
Lowell declared that there is “no new evidence to be found” against his client and that the age of much of the conduct in question is such that nothing of note is likely to emerge at this late date.
“I don't know the possibility exists after this kind of painstaking investigation for them to be, 'Oh, my gosh, there's a new piece of evidence which changes,” the famed attorney stated.
“The only thing that will change is the scrutiny on some of the charges – for example, the gun charge,” Lowell added, referencing allegations that Hunter Biden lied about drug use and dependence on an application he used to obtain a firearm.
Renewed questions about novel legal jeopardy for Hunter Biden surfaced last week when Weiss moved to dismiss the aforementioned pending case in Delaware, purportedly so that new charges could be brought in either Washington, D.C. or in California, as The Hill noted separately.
In a filing explaining the government's take on the current status of that case following the collapse of the plea deal, Weiss wrote, “After the hearing, the parties continued negotiating but reached an impasse. A trial is therefore in order.”
Though Noreika ordered the submission of briefs to address her stated concerns about approving the plea deal, Weiss now believes that the schedule she set should be set aside.
“The Court's briefing order is premised on the idea that the parties intend to continue towards a guilty plea...[b]ut that is no longer the case,” Weiss stated.
Contemporaneously, Garland announced the appointment of Weiss to the role of special counsel, indicating that the U.S. attorney had informed him that the Hunter Biden probe had “reached a stage” requiring additional authority, with the AG indicating his conclusion that “it is in the public interest” to grant his request for the change in status.
Garland's appointment of Weiss has garnered intense criticism from Republicans, as the New York Post notes, with House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) incredulously observing, “Mr. Weiss is the single architect over that sweetheart plea agreement deal that the judge in Delaware threw out just a few weeks ago.” Similarly, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) suggested that the move is a naked plot to “stonewall congressional oversight.”
Though it is, of course, always possible that Weiss has some surprises up his sleeve and does intend to pursue real justice when it comes to Hunter Biden, it appears that congressional Republicans as well as Abbe Lowell are thoroughly skeptical that the special counsel appointment will yield anything of note.
