Attorney General Merrick Garland said the president hasn’t interfered with the investigation into his son.
Sen. Bill Hagerty pressed Garland about whether Biden had pressured anyone in the Department of Justice to conclude that Hunter Biden had not committed any crimes, or whether it would be appropriate for the president to call anyone into the Oval Office to say his son was innocent.
“Absolutely not,” Garland said. “And the president has not done that. And the president is committed not to interfere, not only in that investigation, but any other kind of investigation.”
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The DOJ’s investigation into the younger Biden is being overseen by the U.S. attorney in Delaware, David Weiss, who was appointed by then-President Donald Trump in 2018. When asked how the public could be confident the DOJ was conducting a fair and unbiased investigation, when aides of the president have released public statements claiming Hunter Biden was innocent, Garland pointed to the fact that the investigation is being overseen by a Trump appointee.
“And because you have me as the attorney general, who is committed to the independence of the Justice Department from any influence from the White House in criminal matters,” Garland added.
The investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018 after concerns about Hunter’s financial and business activities in other countries while his father was vice president were made public. The investigation focused on whether Hunter Biden and his colleagues violated money laundering, tax, or foreign lobbying laws. The investigation stalled around the 2020 election but has recently regained momentum.
Hagerty argued there were multiple conflicts of interest for the president, including emails and photographs of then-Vice President Biden meeting with business associates of his son, including the Burisma CEO who paid Hunter Biden $50,000 a month to sit on the company’s board. A text message from Hunter Biden to his daughter apparently stated that he would never make her give him half her salary, unlike his father.
The Republican senator also pointed out that there was an email labeled “JB Bills” that appeared to show Hunter Biden was paying for his father’s living expenses even while Biden was the vice president.
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When asked whether he had any reason to dispute the alleged evidence that Biden was profiting off his son, Garland said it was against department policy to comment on investigations or any evidence that could be related to the case.
Hunter Biden has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes so far. The president is not currently being investigated in relation to Hunter’s business activities.
