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Joe Biden will not discuss probe on Hunter with any AG candidate, says incoming WH Press Secy Jen Psaki

The president-elect has projected time and again that the justice dept will run independently from the White House under his administration

Joe Biden has won this year’s presidential election but he has continued to face questions over Hunter Biden, his younger businessman son. The outgoing president Donald Trump is also reportedly trying to make things difficult for his successor by mulling a federal tax investigation into Joe’s businessman son, something which in reality will pose a challenge for the new administration’s attorney general.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, December 20, Biden’s White House press secretary-designate Jen Psaki said that the incoming president will not discuss the probe into Hunter with anyone he is considering to nominate as the next attorney general.

It was reported recently that Trump might put pressure on Acting AG Jeffrey Rosen to have a special counsel in place to pursue the probe into Hunter after he was angry with outgoing AG William Barr for not publicly revealing the word of the investigation into Hunter in order to keep the justice department out from electoral politics. Barr resigned recently and will step down on December 23. 

Psaki, who spoke to Chris Wallace on ‘Fox News Sunday’, said: “He (Biden) will not be discussing an investigation of his son with any attorney general candidates. He will not be discussing it with anyone he is considering for the role, and he will not be discussing it with the future attorney general.”

Doug Jones, Merrick Garland frontrunners as next AG

Two names that are being discussed as frontrunners for the role of the AG for Biden's tenure are outgoing Alabama Senator Dough Jones and Judge Merrick Garland, who former President Barack Obama tried to appoint as the successor to late Supreme Court judge Antonin Scalia but could not because of the GOP-dominated Senate. Jones lost his bid for a full term in the chamber to Republican Tommy Tuberville in the Senate election last month. 

On Thursday, December 17, Trump dismissed the reports about him eyeing a special counsel to probe Hunter. In a tweet, he said: "I have NOTHING to do with the potential prosecution of Hunter Biden, or the Biden family,: Trump tweeted. "It is just more Fake News. Actually, I find it very sad to watch!"

David Weiss, the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware who was appointed by Trump, is overseeing the federal investigation into Hunter for possible tax fraud. Psaki, who was named by Biden as his pick as the White House press secretary late last month, did not say directly whether the Biden administration would allow Weiss to continue with the investigation without any interference.

She, however, said that Biden would allow the justice department to operate independently. She said that the president-elect asserted that whoever works as his AG would oversee an independent department. “It will be up to the purview of a future attorney general and his administration to determine how to handle any investigation,” the 42-year-old former White House communications director said. 

The former vice president recently dismissed all allegations against his son during an interview with Stephen Colbert. When asked about the criticism directed against Hunter, the 78-year-old said he had “great confidence” in his son.

“I am not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him. It's used to get to me. I think it's kind of foul play but — look, it is what it is. And, he's a grown man, he is the smartest man I know, I mean from a pure intellectual capacity. And as long as he's good, we're good,” Biden, who was accompanied with his wife Jill Biden, said. 

However, when Colbert asked Biden about his job as the president when it comes to Hunter and whether he could reach across to people on the other side of the aisle on the matter, Biden said: "...if it benefits the country, yes. I really mean it," Biden said. "Because we know who we are."