Despite potential federal charges stemming from a multiyear investigation into his son's business dealings, President Joe Biden maintains that Hunter Biden "has done nothing wrong."
"First of all," Joe Biden told MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle on Friday, "my son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him."
The president's comments come after The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that federal prosecutors are close to deciding whether to file charges against Hunter Biden for tax- and gun-related crimes.
The decision rests with U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware. Former President Donald Trump appointed Weiss in 2018.
Biden in the past has mentioned repeatedly that the Department of Justice would have complete autonomy to conduct its investigation, despite Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., claiming on Newsmax that, according to an "FBI whistleblower," Weiss lacks "the resources to do an adequate investigation into Hunter Biden."
A few months ago, Hunter Biden's legal team approached the DOJ for a meeting to present its views on the evidence and receive an update on the status of the long-running investigation into two potential misdemeanor charges: a felony tax evasion charge and a false-statement charge in connection to a gun purchase. It is considered normal for the DOJ to meet with defense lawyers over criminal matters.
Weiss' case comes amid a House Oversight Committee probe into Joe Biden and his family over pay-for-play schemes, and as Hunter Biden, in a separate matter, had urged the DOJ to investigate a Delaware computer repair shop owner alleging he broke the law to "weaponize" Hunter Biden's personal data when his father was running in the 2020 election.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald says Hunter Biden's lawsuit against the computer shop owner is a political faux pas, as it verifies "that the laptop was real and it came from that store — the exact opposite of what all corporate media claimed for the 2020 election."