By Solange Reyner
Three House chairs on Friday said the Department of Justice confirmed that U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the federal prosecutor in Delaware who has led the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden, will appear for a congressional hearing before the Judiciary Committee, according to the Washington Examiner.
Weiss has come under scrutiny after reaching a plea deal with the president’s son in late June in what Republicans have derided as a "sweetheart" deal.
Two days earlier, lawmakers heard from the two IRS agents assigned to the Hunter Biden case, which looked into his failure to pay taxes, for six hours of what was often grueling back-and-forth testimony.
IRS supervisory special agent Gary Shapley, and a second agent, Joe Ziegler, claimed there was what Shapley called in testimony a pattern of "slow-walking investigative steps" into Hunter Biden, including during the Trump administration in the months before the 2020 election that Joe Biden won.
Reps. Jason Smith, R-Mo. (Ways and Means), James Comer, R-Ky. (Oversight), and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, (Judiciary) told the Examiner that the DOJ informed congressional staff on a recent teleconference that Weiss would participate in a hearing with the Judiciary Committee at a future date.
The trio also said they told Attorney General Merrick Garland, "While we look forward to Weiss appearing at a hearing at the appropriate time, we must first conduct our investigative work, including conducting the transcribed interview of witnesses identified in our June 29 letter."
Weiss last month defended his office’s work and denied being blocked from pursuing serious charges against Hunter Biden.
"As the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, my charging authority is geographically limited to my home district. If venue for a case lies elsewhere, common Departmental practice is to contact the United States Attorney’s Office for the district in question and determine whether it wants to partner on the case.
"If not, I may request Special Attorney status from the Attorney General," Weiss wrote. "Here, I have been assured that, if necessary after the above process, I would be granted § 515 Authority in the District of Columbia, the Central District of California, or any other district where charges could be brought in this matter."OK
