Washington
The appointment on Friday of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden helped ensure that the criminal probe of the president’s son will cast a long shadow over his father’s reelection campaign.
Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss’ new role as special counsel, announced on Friday, may force President Joe Biden to deal with unpleasant headlines and distract him and his campaign when he would prefer to talk about the economy or signature legislation as he campaigns for the 2024 presidential election, according to senior Democrats. This will have a sizable impact on the re-elect. They run the risk of constantly getting knocked off message. Every time someone goes before a grand jury or is subpoenaed, the press will keep asking about it. Biden wants to talk economy, guns, national security and he’ll be less able to, said a senior Democrat.
Democrats also fear that special counsel investigations could grow in scope. Special counsels always find things they don’t expect to find. (The probe of former President Bill) Clinton started as an investigation into a real estate deal he and Hillary did when he was governor and ended with Monica Lewinsky, the senior Democrat said.
The Biden campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Hunter Biden in July pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to pay more than $100,000 in taxes owed on over $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018. He did not enter a plea in a separate case in which he is charged with unlawfully owning a firearm while using illegal drugs, which is a felony.
