The top federal prosecutor in Delaware decided to pause a criminal investigation of Hunter Biden months before the 2020 election to prevent the public from learning about it, according to a report.
US Attorney David Weiss, appointed by former President Donald Trump, decided not to seek search warrants or issue grand jury subpoenas so as not to “alert the public to the existence of the case in the middle of a presidential election,” Politico reports.
The prosecutor’s office reportedly was torn over whether to continue its probe or pause it due to the election and Weiss, who remains in his job leading the case, sided with those who wanted to wait.
βTo his credit, he listened,β an unnamed source told the publication.
The Justice Department’s role in the case has faced criticism from Trump allies, who note that a Delaware computer repairman turned over a laptop formerly belonging to Hunter Biden in December 2019, according to records first reported by The Post.
Hunter’s laptop contained significant details about his sketchy overseas business and included documents appearing to link his father to business deals in China and Ukraine.
The Biden campaign and Democrats tried to claim the documents were “Russian disinformation” β as Hunter’s former business partner came forward to corroborate The Post’s reporting and offer additional documentation that bolstered the story.
After his father was elected, Hunter Biden confirmed in December that he’s under federal investigation. He said the authorities are looking at potential tax crimes.
The Justice Department has come under fire for its handling of election-year cases before.
In 2016, Republicans were outraged when the FBI decided not to pursue charges against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information on a private home server. But Democrats cried foul when then-FBI Director James Comey reopened that case just before the election.