Donald Trump on Tuesday night called for Hunter Biden to be executed for tax fraud and forging gun permits.
Hunter, 53, agreed June 20 to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of federal income tax fraud and a separate deal related to a felony gun charge.
Republicans have claimed the deal was a ‘sweetheart deal’, and are questioning prosecutor David Weiss.
Weiss, appointed by Trump as U.S. attorney for the District Court of Delaware, insisted Monday that he reached his conclusions independently — even as two IRS whistleblowers alleged the process was rigged.
But Trump reacted angrily to Weiss’ decision to reach a plea deal, insisting he should have sentenced Hunter to death.
Hunter Biden, 53, agreed to a plea deal on tax and gun permit charges. Donald Trump said he deserved the death penalty
The president’s son is shown the gun he bought swearing he’s not a drug addict. He admitted to his cocaine habit
The death penalty is not an option for tax fraud or gun charges.
Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, ‘Wes is a coward, a smaller version of Bill Barr, who everyone knows never had the guts to do what should have been done.
‘He gave a traffic ticket instead of a death sentence.’
Although Trump himself appointed Weiss, the former president blamed the two Democratic senators for Delaware — Tom Carper and Chris Coons — who recommended him.
“Because of Delaware’s two Democrat senators, they have to choose and/or endorse him,” Trump said.
‘Perhaps the presiding judge will have the courage and wisdom to break up this pool of guilt.
‘The content and corruption is beyond description. Two levels of justice!’
Amid Republican outrage and accusations, Weiss said Monday that she had been assured by the Justice Department that she would have the authority to file charges against President Joe Biden’s son outside her Delaware district if she chose to do so.
The US attorney outlined his powers in a letter to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, after the South Carolina senator wrote and asked him to clarify allegations from an IRS whistleblower that he was denied special counsel status.
‘I did not request the designation of special counsel,’ Weiss noted.
‘I was assured that I would be given this authority if it proved necessary,’ Weiss added.
‘And this assurance came a few months before the October 7, 2022, meeting referred to whistleblowers’ complaints.’
Hunter Biden is seen arriving at an air base in Washington DC on June 23
Hunter Biden is seen watching fireworks from the White House on July 4 with his parents
US Attorney David Weiss says he has not requested special counsel status as part of the Hunter Biden investigation
Weiss added that he was ‘not barred from suing any jurisdiction.’
IRS agent Gary Shapley, a whistleblower, tried to bring charges against Hunter Biden in Washington, DC, but Weiss’s extent of authority was called into question when he was blocked by top DC federal prosecutor Matthew Graves, a Biden appointee.
Federal law requires that federal criminal proceedings be held in the district where the crime was committed. Hunter Biden lived in Washington DC and California at the time of his tax crimes.
That means Weiss will need cooperation from the Central District of California and Washington, D.C., to file charges there.
Weiss was denied that permission, Shapley said.
But Weiss said he’s confident he would have gotten it had he requested it.
Shapley’s lawyers accused Weiss of changing her story.
“The story of US Attorney David Weiss is changing,” Shapley’s legal team said in a statement.
‘As a practical matter, it makes no difference whether Weiss requested special counsel or special attorney authority. Under no circumstances should the ‘process’ include political appointees of the subject’s father, as Congress and the public were assured it would not – but it did.’
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wrote to US Attorney David Weiss and asked him to respond to the IRS whistleblower’s allegations.
Shapley, in an interview with Fox News in June, described an Oct. 7, 2022, meeting with top IRS and FBI officials about the Hunter case.
‘I was there, and I witnessed it personally,’ Shapley said, adding that Weiss began by saying that ‘he is not the person to decide whether or not to file charges.’
Shapley claimed Washington DC officials made the final decision. He noted Weiss met with Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in March 2022.
‘After that happened, he wasn’t looking to press charges,’ Shapley said.
Shapley noted Weiss said he requested special counsel authority and was denied.
‘I even asked him to repeat it, because I knew how important the truth was and I wanted to make sure I understood it,’ he noted.
Shapley said he even documented the details of the meeting in an email and noted that the email was in the hands of House investigators.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has consistently said Weiss had full authority.
Garland said: ‘As I said at the outset, Mr. Weiss was appointed by President Trump as US Attorney in Delaware and assigned to this matter during the previous administration.’
Garland said Weiss will be allowed to continue his investigation and decide to prosecute in any and all districts he chooses. Mr. Weiss has since sent a letter to the House Judiciary confirming that he has that authority.
He said in June, ‘I don’t know how anyone would be able to prevent him from bringing a prosecution even though he has this authority.’
He claims that Weiss never asked to be appointed a special prosecutor.
‘Mr. Weiss, in fact, had more authority than special counsel,’ Garland said.
‘He was given full authority to take all decisions.
‘Some have chosen to attack the integrity of the judiciary by claiming that we do not treat cases the same.
‘This constitutes an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy.’