President Donald Trump nominated Weiss, a longtime federal prosecutor, to serve as the U.S. attorney in Delaware in 2017. The U.S. Senate confirmed him for the job in early 2018.
Why is a Trump appointee still serving in the Biden administration?
The Biden administration asked nearly all of Trump’s U.S. attorneys to step down, which is typical for new presidents when they take office. But the administration asked Weiss, who was already heading the Hunter Biden investigation, to stay on. Removing Weiss was likely to have sparked political backlash, as he was investigating the president’s son.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has repeatedly said that Weiss had full independence to steer the investigation.
Why was Weiss investigating Hunter Biden?
The investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018 and became a central focus for Trump during his unsuccessful 2020 reelection effort. Initially, the investigation centered around Biden’s finances related to overseas business ties and consulting work. Over time, investigators with multiple agencies focused closely on whether Biden did not report all of his income, and whether he lied on gun purchase paperwork in 2018, people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing case, previously told The Washington Post.
What did Weiss do before serving as the U.S. attorney in Delaware?
Weiss has spent much of his career in the U.S. attorney’s office in Wilmington — the same office he now leads. He served as the first assistant U.S. attorney in the Delaware office between 2007 and 2009, was acting and interim U.S. attorney from 2009 to 2011, then returned to the first assistant U.S. attorney position between 2012 and 2018.
After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis and the Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Weiss clerked for Justice Andrew D. Christie of the Delaware Supreme Court, then worked as a line prosecutor for three years, according to his Justice Department biography. He entered private practice and became a partner at the law firm Duane Morris before becoming a top executive at the Siegfried Group, a financial services firm.
Has Weiss spoken publicly about the case?
Federal prosecutors generally do not speak about ongoing investigations, and Weiss has followed that rule. The Post reported in October that federal agents investigating Biden believed they gathered sufficient evidence months ago to charge him with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase but were waiting on Weiss to make a decision on whether to file such charges.
Now that a plea deal has been reached, it is possible he will make a public statement.
