House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio took aim at U.S. Attorney David Weiss at the beginning of a Wednesday hearing, saying that the federal prosecutor “can’t get his story straight” about his interactions with top DOJ officials.
“The question is, who are you going to believe? April 26, in front of the U.S. Senate, the Attorney General said David Weiss is in charge of the investigation. Oct. 7, in a meeting with Gary Shapley, one of the whistleblowers, David Weiss said, ‘I’m not the deciding official.’ Who are you gonna believe? On Feb. 28, I wrote the Attorney General, asking him why there’s no special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation. He didn’t respond, which is unusual in and of itself. They always respond to the Judiciary Committee when we write something to him,” Jordan said in his opening remarks at the House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee.
Garland told the Senate Appropriations Committee in April 2022 that a special counsel would not be necessary, and that such an appointment would not insulate the investigation from political tampering the way Republicans claimed. He also said that he was “committed to the independence of the Justice Department.” Internal Revenue Service commissioner Daniel Werfel offered similar testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in April 2023.
WATCH @Jim_Jordan highlight how US Attorney David Weiss’ answers regarding his authority in the Hunter Biden investigation have continuously shifted.
“Three different positions in a little over a month.” pic.twitter.com/2nbv6M3fQ5
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) July 19, 2023
“I wrote a letter on May 25. Again, the Attorney General didn’t respond, but David Weiss did. And here’s what he said. June 7, he said this: ‘I have been granted ultimate authority over the matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges,'” Jordan continued. “Three weeks later, Mr. Weiss wrote me again, and he said this: ‘I stand by what I wrote, but I wish to expand.’ Wow, already changing his story. Twenty-three days later, and he said this: ‘My charging authority is geographically limited to my home district.’ Well, wait a minute. You just told me 23 days before you have ultimate authority. Now you change it.”
“Then again, on July 10, Mr. Weiss wrote Sen. Graham, and he said this. Paragraph two, to clarify, ‘I have not requested special counsel designation. Rather I had discussions with departmental officials.’ Mr. Weiss can’t get his story straight. Three different stories in a five-week time frame.” (RELATED: DOJ Attorneys Agreed With IRS Call To Charge Hunter Biden With Felonies, Whistleblowers To Testify)
Whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler, both IRS agents, testified in their opening remarks that a group of DOJ attorneys agreed that Hunter Biden should be charged with tax felonies. However, Weiss later told a group of law enforcement officials that U.S. attorneys in other districts would not prosecute the crimes, leading the two whistleblowers to come forward.
