Special counsel David Weiss, who is overseeing the investigation into President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, is set to meet with the House Judiciary Committee behind closed doors Tuesday as Republicans seek to ramp up their impeachment inquiry into the president over his family’s business dealings.
The testimony from Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware, is the first time a special counsel will answer questions from congressional investigators before concluding a probe. He is expected to provide details only about his authority to bring charges in the case, not the specifics of the investigation.
“Special Counsel Weiss is appearing voluntarily to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about the scope of his authority,” special counsel spokesperson Wyn Hornbuckle said in a statement Monday. “Mr. Weiss is prepared to take this unprecedented step of testifying before the conclusion of his investigation to make clear that he’s had and continues to have full authority over his investigation and to bring charges in any jurisdiction.”
Weiss volunteered to appear before Congress to provide clarity on the inconsistencies between his public statements on the probe and the public testimony of two IRS investigators, who claimed Weiss was blocked from bringing charges against Hunter Biden.
Weiss’ testimony comes months after a plea deal Hunter Biden struck with the government unraveled when the judge in the case raised concerns about the agreement. Weiss, a Trump appointee who Biden kept on to oversee the case, is leading an indictment of Hunter Biden on gun charges. He had requested and was granted special counsel status after the earlier plea deal fell through.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty last month to three charges related to his possession of a firearm while using illegal drugs. He has said he will seek to have the federal indictment against him dismissed.
The three federal gun charges in the September indictment include two counts accusing him of falsely indicating he was not using illegal drugs on a form for a gun purchase in 2018 and a third count alleging he possessed a firearm while using a narcotic.
House Republicans are probing whether the Justice Department granted the president’s son favorable treatment because of his father, alleging he should have been charged for some of his business dealings as well.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has signaled that his panel is preparing to issue subpoenas focused on the Biden family’s business dealings. Hunter Biden and the president’s brother James Biden are among those expected to be subpoenaed by the panel as soon as the middle of this week, two sources connected to the investigation told NBC News.
Ryan Nobles and Rebecca Kaplan contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
