Republicans blast 'coverup' of Hunter Biden special counsel appointment: 'Something’s not right'

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DOJ attempting to 'stonewall' Congress' investigation of Biden family: Rep. Jason Smith

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., joins ‘America Reports’ to react to the Justice Department's decision to appoint a special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation and drop his plea deal.

Republican lawmakers sounded off after Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed a special counsel for the probe into first son Hunter Biden.

High-ranking GOP lawmakers torched Garland's appointment of U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who led the prosecution in Hunter Biden's tax and gun charges, to head up the special counsel probe.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., called Garland's announcement "part of the Justice Department’s efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of [House Oversight Republicans'] mounting evidence of President Biden’s role in his family’s schemes selling ‘the brand’ for millions of dollars to foreign nationals."

Weiss is the federal prosecutor who has investigated the first son's business dealings and brought charges against him in Delaware. His appointment as special counsel could indicate that, contrary to Hunter's defense lawyers' claims, the Justice Department investigation into President Biden's son is not over.

AG GARLAND APPOINTS HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATOR DAVID WEISS SPECIAL COUNSEL

GOP lawmakers torched Attorney General Merrick Garland's appointment of U.S. Attorney David Weiss to head the investigation into the president's son. (Fox News screenshot)

"The Justice Department's misconduct and politicization in the Biden criminal investigation already allowed the statute of limitations to run with respect to egregious felonies committed by Hunter Biden," Comer continued. "Justice Department officials refused to follow evidence that could have led to Joe Biden, tipped off the Biden transition team and Hunter Biden's lawyers about planned interviews and searches and attempted to sneakily place Hunter Biden on the path to a sweetheart plea deal."

Comer said Garland's "move is really about" the DOJ "trying to stonewall congressional oversight as we have presented evidence to the American people about the Biden family's corruption."

"The House Oversight Committee will continue to follow the Biden family's money trail and interview witnesses to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens. President Biden is compromised and corrupt, and our national security is threatened. We will also continue to work with the House Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means to root out misconduct at the Justice Department and hold bad actors accountable for weaponizing law enforcement powers," he said.

"This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tweeted Friday.

"If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?" McCarthy added. "House Republicans will continue to pursue the facts for the American people."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, tweeted: "First, David Weiss said he didn’t have the power he needed and wanted special counsel status.

"Then, he said he had all the power he needs. Now, he gets special counsel status because he didn’t really have the power he needs? Something’s not right."

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said in a post, "This is the same US Attorney who just tried to give Hunter a sweetheart deal. Given how Hunter has been treated this far, pardon me if I'm not extremely excited that anything will actually come of this."

On Friday, Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe.

"I'm here today to announce the appointment of David Weiss as a special counsel consistent with the Department of Justice regulations governing such matters. In keeping with those regulations, I have today notified the designated members of each House of Congress of the appointment," Garland said at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

Weiss is the federal prosecutor who has investigated the business dealings of Hunter Biden and brought charges against him in Delaware.

Garland said Tuesday that Weiss had told him 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 appointed."

Attorney General Merrick Garland. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel," Garland said.

In July, Weiss announced a probation-only plea agreement for Biden in which he would plead guilty to tax evasion charges. However, U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, rejected the agreement after expressing several concerns over its provisions. 

Republicans criticized the agreement as a "sweetheart" deal and have pursued their own investigation into the Biden family's business dealings with an eye toward impeaching the president. 

Talks between federal prosecutors and Hunter's defense team subsequently broke down after the government acknowledged he was still under federal investigation.