https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/03/who-is-david-weiss-hunter-biden-case/73957344007
Who is David Weiss? What to know about Trump-appointed special counsel on Hunter Biden case
The trial for President Joe Biden's son on felony gun charges began Monday in Delaware, the latest turn in the saga of an investigation by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss
Hunter Biden is on trial now for three firearms felonies; two for allegedly lying on a form to purchase a gun in 2018, and one related to his possession of a firearm. In a separate case brought by Weiss in Los Angeles federal court, Biden has also been indicted on nine tax offense charges. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Weiss has been investigating Biden for more than five years – first as the Trump administration-appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware and more recently as a DOJ special counsel. He has been criticized along the way after an earlier plea deal failed and Biden's lawyer argued the charges were politically motivated.
David Weiss was appointed in 2017 under Trump as U.S attorney for the District of Delaware, and the Biden administration asked him to keep the position in 2021 while he continued his Hunter Biden investigation.
In August 2023, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss to serve as special counsel for investigations and prosecutions in the Hunter Biden probe.
"Weiss advised me that in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be so appointed,” said Garland in an announcement about Weiss's appointment.
The appointment came after a plea agreement over the gun and tax charges fell apart, and Biden was indicted on the gun charges shortly after.U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected a plea agreement last July that aimed to resolve Weiss's investigation.
Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanors for nonpayment of taxes in 2017 and 2018, and to enter a pretrial program on a gun charge.Weiss went on defense after the indictment, telling a House Judiciary Committee in November that politics did not play a role in the investigation and he was the sole decision maker at the Justice Department.
While legal experts say the charges against Biden are rarely prosecuted, congressional Republicans said the plea agreement was a "sweetheart deal."