33 senators want special counsel privileges for Hunter Biden investigator

A group of Republican senators has signed a letter petitioning Attorney General Merrick Garland to extend "special counsel authorities and protections" to the attorney investigating Hunter Biden's foreign business practices, the New York Post reports.

The letter was organized by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and signed by a third of the U.S. Senate, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky). In the letter published on Monday, the senators listed the "politicization" of the Department of Justice, a deficiency of trust in public authorities, and recent allegations of an FBI coverup of evidence that could implicate the first son. The senators also state that they believe evidence points to multiple federal crimes committed by Hunter Biden, including "tax fraud, money laundering, and foreign-lobbying violations."

"Given that the investigation involves the president's son, we believe it is important to provide U.S. Attorney [David] Weiss with special counsel authorities and protections to allow him to investigate an appropriate scope of potentially criminal conduct, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and provide additional assurances to the American people that the Hunter Biden investigation is free from political influence," the letter states.

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U.S. Attorney for Delaware Weiss has been investigating Hunter Biden, who recently used a loan or gift from attorney Keven Morris to allegedly make a $2 million payment to the IRS for back taxes to avoid prosecution.

The Republican senators sent the letter the day after President Biden said his son's foreign business deals in China, Russia, and Ukraine did not constitute a conflict of interest for him in an interview for the CBS program 60 Minutes.