Although some G.O.P. lawmakers see the appointment of David C. Weiss as a vindication of their strategy, others criticize the now-scuttled plea deal he struck with Mr. Biden.

Congressional Republicans have for months repeatedly written to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland demanding he appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden, the presidentā€™s son, over his business dealings.

Some even demanded that a specific man be named to lead the inquiry: David C. Weiss, the Trump-appointed Delaware U.S. attorney who has long investigated the case.

But on Friday, after Mr. Garland elevated Mr. Weiss to special counsel status, Republicans in Congress reacted publicly not with triumph, but with outrage. ā€œDavid Weiss canā€™t be trusted and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden familyā€™s corruption,ā€ Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The reaction was a notable political development, one that underscored both how Mr. Weiss, a Republican, has fallen in conservative circles, and how deeply it has become ingrained in the G.O.P. to oppose the Justice Department at every turn.

ā€œThe reality is this appointment is meant to distract from, and slow down, our investigations,ā€ said Representative Jason Smith, Republican of Missouri and chairman of Ways and Means, one of three congressional committees looking into the Biden familyā€™s finances.

ā€¦

Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, who had once called for Mr. Weiss to be made special counsel, said he no longer stands by that belief. ā€œGiven the underhanded plea deal negotiated by the U.S. attorney from President Bidenā€™s home state, itā€™s clear Mr. Weiss isnā€™t the right person for the job,ā€ Mr. Grassley said.

But Democrat-aligned groups saw something else in the Republicansā€™ about-face: disingenuousness.

ā€œHouse Republicansā€™ opposition to Trump appointee David Weissā€™s appointment as special counsel is nothing more than another political stunt,ā€ said Kyle Herrig, the director of the Congressional Integrity Project, an advocacy group that defends President Biden from congressional investigations. ā€œAfter months of calling for this, their dismay makes clear that they will stop at nothing to weaponize Congress to interfere with an ongoing investigation and harm Joe Biden.ā€

  • PretentiousDouche@lemmy.sdf.org
    8Ā·
    1 year ago

    I love this. I tuned in to a little Sean Hannity on the radio on my drive home Friday and heard him rail against the selection of Weiss multiple times, while throwing out vague bullet points about why heā€™s unacceptable.

    My first reaction was that theyā€™re laying the groundwork for when this investigation comes up with nothing, or some really boring crimes (like firearms charges? The Republicans are about gun control now?) and they have to lay the blame on someone so the conspiracy machine can keep pumping out outrage.

    Knowing this is a guy they wanted for the job until he started doing it makes it even more delicious, but as we know when Republicanā€™s beliefs come up against reality itā€™s the reality that gives, so theyā€™ll have no problem ignoring that this was even ever a thing.