AG Garland Responds to Hunter Plea Deal: Ask Weiss

As critics suggest Hunter Biden's reported plea deal with the Justice Department amounts to a mere slap on the wrist, Attorney General Merrick Garland effectively blamed former President Donald Trump's appointment for that.

"As I said from the moment of my appointment as attorney general, I would leave this matter in the hands of the United States attorney who was appointed by the previous president, and assigned to this matter by the previous administration, that he would be given full authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate," Garland told a reporter at a news conference in Sweden. "And that's what he's done.

"If you have any further questions about that matter, you should direct them to the U.S. attorney to explain his decision."

That is U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who is overseeing the Hunter Biden criminal investigation.

Weiss has assured House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, about his autonomy on the case.

"I have been granted ultimate authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges and for making decisions necessary to preserve the integrity of the prosecution, consistent with federal law, the Principles of Federal Prosecution, and Departmental regulations," Weiss wrote to Jordan, CNN reported.

The announcement that federal prosecutors have reached a plea deal with President Joe Biden's son Hunter over tax and gun charges marks the likely end of a five-year Justice Department investigation that has dogged the Biden family.

It does not, however, mean that congressional Republicans are done with their own wide-ranging probe into nearly every facet of Hunter Biden's business dealings, including examining foreign payments and other aspects of his finances.

Some of the Republican candidates hoping to face off against President Biden in the 2024 election are decrying the deal as evidence of an unfair justice system, particularly in light of the recent federal indictment of GOP front-runner Donald Trump

According to a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, Hunter Biden has been charged with misdemeanor charges of failing to pay federal income tax. Court documents allege he failed to pay more than $200,000 in federal income taxes for 2017 and 2018.

The federal probe into Hunter Biden began in 2018, bursting into public view in December, 2020 — one month after the presidential election — when he revealed he had received a subpoena as part of the Justice Department's scrutiny of his taxes.

That subpoena sought information on the younger Biden's business dealings with a number of entities, including Burisma, a Ukraine gas company whose board he joined in 2014. That move sparked concerns about the perceptions of a conflict of interest, given the elder Biden was deeply involved in U.S. policy toward Ukraine.

By entering a plea, Hunter Biden avoids a trial, and it is unlikely that he will spend time in jail, although penalties are ultimately up to a judge.

A person familiar with the investigation said the Justice Department would recommend probation for the tax charges.

The gun charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but the Justice Department says Hunter Biden has reached a pretrial agreement on that charge, too.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.