Biden silent on decision to name special counsel in Hunter Biden probe

President Joe Biden is keeping mum about Attorney General Merrick Garland's decision to name a special counsel in the investigation of his son Hunter Biden.

Speaking at a news conference Friday at the conclusion of his Camp David summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden demurred when asked about the latest twist in his son's legal issues. The comments were Biden's first on the matter since Garland announced last week he was naming a special counsel into the probe of Hunter Biden's financial dealings.

I have no comment on any investigation that's going on, said Biden. That's up to the Justice Department and that's all I have to say.

Garland noted the extraordinary circumstances of the matter when he named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who had already been probing Hunter Biden's financial dealings, as special counsel after a plea deal over tax evasion and a gun charge collapsed last month.

The sudden turn of events has raised new questions about the case against Biden on tax evasion and a gun charge, deepening an investigation that appeared close to resolution just weeks ago.

With the special counsel designation, Weiss gained broad authority to investigate and report out his findings. As special counsel, he is also able to prosecute Biden in any district he deems appropriate rather than solely in Delaware.