Biden stays mum on Justice Dept. special counsel in Hunter Biden probe
Associated Press
CAMP DAVID, Md. — President Joe Biden is keeping mum about Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision to name a special counsel in the investigation of his son Hunter Biden.
Speaking at a news conference Friday at the conclusion of his Camp David summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden demurred when asked about the latest twist in his son’s legal issues.
The comments were Biden’s first on the matter since Garland announced last week he was naming a special counsel into the probe of Hunter Biden’s financial dealings.
Andrew Harnik, Associated Press
President Joe Biden reacts Friday during a joint news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David, the presidential retreat, near Thurmont, Md.
“I have no comment on any investigation that’s going on,” said Biden. “That’s up to the Justice Department and that’s all I have to say.”
Garland noted the “extraordinary circumstances” of the matter when he named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who had already been probing Hunter Biden’s financial dealings, as special counsel after a plea deal over tax evasion and a gun charge collapsed last month.
The sudden turn of events has raised new questions about the case against Biden on tax evasion and a gun charge, deepening an investigation that appeared close to resolution just weeks ago.
With the special counsel designation, Weiss gained broad authority to investigate and report out his findings. As special counsel, he is also able to prosecute Biden in any district he deems appropriate rather than solely in Delaware.
Read more on the historic summit:
Federal investigation of Hunter Biden heats up
Lana Harris
Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) holds his daughter Ashley while taking a mock oath of office from Vice President George Bush during a ceremony on Capitol Hill, Jan. 3, 1985. Biden's sons Beau and Hunter hold the bible during the ceremony. (AP Photo/Lana Harris)
Lana Harris
Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) holds his daughter Ashley while taking a mock oath of office from Vice President George Bush during a ceremony on Capitol Hill, Jan. 3, 1985. Biden's sons Beau and Hunter hold the bible during the ceremony. (AP Photo/Lana Harris)
FILE - In this March 24, 1988, file photo, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., wearing a University of Delaware baseball cap, leaves Walter Reed Army Hospital accompanied by his son Hunter Biden in Washington. Biden had been in the hospital for 11 days so that surgeons could implant a small umbrella-like filter in a vein to prevent blood clots from reaching his lungs. (AP Photo/Adele Starr, File)
Adele Starr
FILE - In this March 24, 1988, file photo, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., wearing a University of Delaware baseball cap, leaves Walter Reed Army Hospital accompanied by his son Hunter Biden in Washington. Biden had been in the hospital for 11 days so that surgeons could implant a small umbrella-like filter in a vein to prevent blood clots from reaching his lungs. (AP Photo/Adele Starr, File)
Hunter Biden, right, and his stepmother Jill Biden on stage after the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Tom Gannam
Hunter Biden, right, and his stepmother Jill Biden on stage after the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Vice President-elect, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., left, stands with his son Hunter during a re-enactment of the Senate oath ceremony, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Charles Dharapak
Vice President-elect, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., left, stands with his son Hunter during a re-enactment of the Senate oath ceremony, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Vice President Joe Biden with his son Hunter Biden, right, react to the crowd as they participate in the Inaugural Parade in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Gerald Herbert
Vice President Joe Biden with his son Hunter Biden, right, react to the crowd as they participate in the Inaugural Parade in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2010, file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, left, with his son Hunter, right, at the Duke Georgetown NCAA college basketball game in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Nick Wass
FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2010, file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, left, with his son Hunter, right, at the Duke Georgetown NCAA college basketball game in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2012, file photo, Hunter Biden waits for the start of the his father's, Vice President Joe Biden's, debate at Centre College in Danville, Ky. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Pablo Martinez Monsivais
FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2012, file photo, Hunter Biden waits for the start of the his father's, Vice President Joe Biden's, debate at Centre College in Danville, Ky. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Family members gather for a road naming ceremony with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, center, his son Hunter Biden, left, and his sister Valerie Biden Owens, right, joined by other family members during a ceremony to name a national road after his late son Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, in the village of Sojevo, Kosovo, on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016. President Joe Biden is the guest of honor during the street dedication ceremony naming the national road Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III.AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Visar Kryeziu
Family members gather for a road naming ceremony with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, center, his son Hunter Biden, left, and his sister Valerie Biden Owens, right, joined by other family members during a ceremony to name a national road after his late son Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, in the village of Sojevo, Kosovo, on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016. President Joe Biden is the guest of honor during the street dedication ceremony naming the national road Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III.AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
President Joe Biden hugs first lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden after being sworn-in during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Carolyn Kaster
President Joe Biden hugs first lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden after being sworn-in during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Beau Biden, right, son of Hunter Biden, second from right, holds a branch from the official 2021 White House Christmas Tree that was given to him by first lady Jill Biden, left, at the White House, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, in Washington. This year's tree is an 18.5-foot Fraser fir presented by Rusty and Beau Estes of Peak Farms in Jefferson, N.C. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Patrick Semansky
Beau Biden, right, son of Hunter Biden, second from right, holds a branch from the official 2021 White House Christmas Tree that was given to him by first lady Jill Biden, left, at the White House, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, in Washington. This year's tree is an 18.5-foot Fraser fir presented by Rusty and Beau Estes of Peak Farms in Jefferson, N.C. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
President Joe Biden, third from left, watches as his son Hunter Biden follows his grandson Beau Biden as the family leave St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. Today is the anniversary of Neilia and Naomi Biden's death. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Carolyn Kaster
President Joe Biden, third from left, watches as his son Hunter Biden follows his grandson Beau Biden as the family leave St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. Today is the anniversary of Neilia and Naomi Biden's death. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
