(LibertySociety.com) – Attorney General Merrick Garland testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 1st, 2023, facing a wide array of questions about the activities of the Department of Justice. Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pressed AG Garland on the DOJ’s ability to allow Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss complete independence from political interference in his investigation of Hunter Biden. Senator Grassley has spent many years investigating the business dealings of the Biden family during the Obama administration, when President Joe Biden served as Vice President.
Senator Grassley believes that Attorney Weiss should have been named as a Special Counsel for his investigation so that he can investigate Hunter Biden outside of his jurisdiction, fearing that should an investigation have to be opened elsewhere, there could be political interference, such as an attorney that was appointed by President Biden leading the investigation. Hunter Biden is currently under investigation by Weiss for his overseas business endeavors as well as his tax affairs.
During the hearing, AG Garland assured Senator Grassley that Attorney Weiss “has been advised that he should get anything he needs,” adding that he has given him full authority to pursue additional investigations outside of his jurisdiction. Senator Grassley persisted, asking AG Garland if his investigation would benefit from being named a Special Counsel. Garland reiterated his promise to authorize and permit additional investigations to be brought into his investigation, saying that it would have to be requested before he could make that type of decision.
Senator Grassley finished his line of questioning by asking AG Garland about national security concerns regarding payments made to “elected officials or politically-exposed persons” from foreign governments. Garland responded by saying that if the payments were made in secret to benefit a foreign government, then he would classify that activity as a national security concern. Senator Grassley has previously been at odds with AG Garland over information he obtained from whistleblowers about the FBI allegedly trying to discredit negative information about Hunter Biden.
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