Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie slammed the Department of Justice's (DOJ) investigation into Hunter Biden on Sunday as "incompetent," advising the GOP to not stop making noise about it.
After a lengthy investigation into his tax history, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, accepted a plea deal from the DOJ last month, agreeing to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges for failing to pay income taxes on time. A charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm is also still in play, but could be dismissed as part of a future deal.
Christopher J. Clark, an attorney for Hunter Biden, told Newsweek in a statement last month: "...I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward."
Despite the president's son agreeing to accept the charges, and despite the case being overseen by a U.S. attorney appointed by former President Donald Trump, a Republican, many within the GOP have still decried the situation, accusing President Biden or his administration of intervening in the case to get his son a "sweetheart deal" with lighter charges than he deserved. In response, numerous DOJ officials have strongly dismissed those allegations, with the attorney in charge of the case, David Weiss, stating that he had full authority to bring any charges he saw fit.
Newsweek reached out to Weiss's office via email for comment.
Appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday, Christie, who is currently seeking the 2024 GOP nomination for president, called Weiss's handling of the case "incompetent and inexplicable" when asked by host Margaret Brennan if Republicans should move on from the subject altogether.
"The conduct here by the US Attorney in Delaware, and by the Justice Department just can't be justified," the former governor said. "It does not take five years to investigate two misdemeanor tax counts and to dismiss a gun charge, and we need to know what they were investigating, and why these are the charges they concluded to. This is not just any person, this is the son of the president of the United States. And while justice needs to be equal...it doesn't appear to me that this is the way to do it."
He continued, noting that the gun charge against Hunter Biden for intentionally lying about his status on a permit application, carries a sentence of 10 years in prison typically. He also insinuated hypocrisy among Democrats for not speaking out more against that particular charge, given their usual calls for stronger gun control laws.
On the Hunter Biden plea agreement on tax and gun charges, @ChrisChristie tells @margbrennan, "I don't think it's time to move on.” Christie says the U.S. Attorney in Delaware's work "appears to be incompetent and inexplicable” and he “owes the American people an explanation." pic.twitter.com/yiM4Z4gJzI
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 23, 2023
Brennan then noted that Weiss is a Trump-appointed Republican, a common argument from many who believe the investigation against the president's son was carried out fairly. Others believe that Weiss, unlike other U.S. attorneys, was not replaced with a new appointee when President Biden took office to avoid the appearance of him trying to influence the case. However, Christie dismissed that argument, insisting that Weiss's work was incompetent.
"It doesn't matter whether you're appointed by a Republican or a Democrat," Christie continued. "If your work appears to be incompetent and inexplicable, you need to explain it so we can have confidence in our justice system. And I don't care whether Mr. Weiss is a Republican or a Democrat, he owes the American people an explanation."
