Hunter Biden’s prosecutor says the president’s criticism undermines the rule of law. From Reuters

By Andrew Goudsward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. special counsel who prosecuted Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic President Joe Biden, called the president’s criticism of the cases “baseless and false” in a final report on his investigation released on Monday.

Special counsel David Weiss sued Hunter Biden for lying about his drug use when he bought a gun in 2018 and for $1.4 million in tax evasion.

Joe Biden pardoned his son in December for those crimes and other conduct over 11 years, after previously promising not to do so. In issuing the pardon, Biden said the cases were unduly influenced by “crude politics.”

“This statement is unfounded and false,” Weiss wrote in his final report.

The criticism “undermines the foundations of what makes the American justice system fair and just,” Weiss wrote. “It undermines public trust in an institution that is essential to upholding the rule of law.”

Under Justice Department rules, special prosecutors appointed to give sensitive investigations a degree of independence from department leadership must submit a final report at the end of their investigation.

Weiss, who has completed his investigation, used the report to strongly defend the Hunter Biden cases and hit back at Joe Biden’s criticism.

Hunter Biden was convicted of the weapons charges in June after a federal court trial in Delaware and later pleaded guilty to tax charges in Los Angeles.

Weiss secured charges in both cases following a plea deal that likely would have allowed Hunter Biden to avoid prison time, which was revealed by questioning by a federal judge in 2023.

Hunter Biden, who has been public about his struggles with drug addiction, has faced years of scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, particularly over his foreign dealings.

Hunter Biden and his legal team have repeatedly claimed that political pressure forced Weiss to abandon plea negotiations and instead pursue charges that carry far greater legal risks.

They argued that the tax and gun cases were cases that federal prosecutors would not normally have pursued.

Weiss investigated Hunter Biden for years, first as a U.S. attorney in Delaware appointed by President-elect Donald Trump in his first term, and later as a special counsel during Joe Biden’s administration.

“I brought the two cases against Mr. Biden because he violated the law,” Weiss wrote in the report.