In a Tuesday filing, federal prosecutors working on the case against President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, said they “did not renege” on a previous plea agreement with the younger Biden.
Hunter Biden and his legal team alleged in a filing earlier this week that federal prosecutors reneged on a “previously agreed-upon Plea Agreement” for tax and gun charges he received in June. However, the government responded by saying a probation official did not approve of the deal at the time.
“Thus, neither proposed agreement entered into effect,” the federal prosecutors’ filing read. “Instead, as of the end of the hearing on July 26, the two proposed agreements were drafts that either party could propose changes to. And both parties did so following the hearing.”
On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss as a special counsel in the investigation into the president’s son. The designation by Garland allows Weiss to expand the scope of the investigation.
“Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said at the announcement of the appointment.
Several Republicans have slammed the appointment, raising alarms about how a special counsel could affect their own investigations. Among the criticism was that from House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), who called the move “part of the Justice Department’s efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup” in a statement from last week.