Reactions to appointment of a US special counsel in Hunter Biden case

(Reuters) -Here are some reactions to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland's appointment on Friday of David Weiss as a special counsel to investigate whether President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, engaged in improper business dealings.

Weiss said Hunter Biden may be headed for trial on criminal charges after talks on a potential plea deal reached an impasse.

REPUBLICAN HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ON X, FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER:

"This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption. If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel? House Republicans will continue to pursue the facts for the American people."

DEMOCRATIC SENATOR DICK DURBIN, MAJORITY WHIP AND CHAIR OF SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE:

"Attorney General Garland has committed to avoiding even the appearance of politicization at the Justice Department, and his appointment of a Special Counsel in this matter demonstrates that commitment yet again. And President Biden’s decision to keep Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss on in Delaware when he was sworn-in stands in stark contrast to former President Trump’s repeated efforts to use the Justice Department and Attorney General as his personal lawyer. U.S. Attorney David Weiss is a distinguished prosecutor, and I trust that the Justice Department’s professional, nonpartisan approach will carry on as the Special Counsel continues his investigation."

REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STEVE SCALISE ON X:

"Don’t be fooled. Garland appointing Weiss as a sham special counsel on Hunter is a way to block info from Congress while claiming they're investigating. Weiss approved the sweetheart plea deal. This is an even better deal for Hunter since charges may never come. Outrageous."

STEVEN CHEUNG, SPOKESPERSON FOR FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP:

"Crooked Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and the entire Biden Crime Family have been protected by the Justice Department for decades even though there is overwhelming evidence and credible testimony detailing their wrongdoing of lying to the American people and selling out the country to foreign enemies for the Biden Cartel’s own financial gain. If this special counsel is truly independent - even though he failed to bring proper charges after a four year investigation and he appears to be trying to move the case to a more Democrat-friendly venue - he will quickly conclude that Joe Biden, his troubled son Hunter, and their enablers, including the media, which colluded with the 51 intelligence officials who knowingly misled the public about Hunter’s laptop, should face the required consequences."

RUSSELL DYE, SPOKESMAN FOR REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE JIM JORDAN, CHAIR OF HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE:

"David Weiss can’t be trusted and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family’s corruption. Weiss has already signed off on a sweetheart plea deal that was so awful and unfair that a federal judge rejected it. We will continue to pursue facts brought to light by brave whistleblowers as well as Weiss’s inconsistent statements to Congress."

REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE JAMES COMER, CHAIR OF HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, POSTING ON X, FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER:

"This move by Attorney General Garland is part of the Justice Department's efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of the House Oversight Committee's mounting evidence of President Biden's role in his family's schemes selling 'the brand' for millions of dollars to foreign nationals... The Biden Justice Department is trying to stonewall congressional oversight as we have presented evidence to the American people about the Biden family's corruption."

REPUBLICAN SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM ON FOX NEWS:

"Does anybody in their right mind trust the Weiss team to continue to fairly and impartially investigate the Hunter Biden and Joe Biden matter? I don't. So you've changed the title, but the problem's still the same."

REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE BYRON DONALDS ON X:

"House Republicans are holding the corrupt Biden Fam & administration accountable & putting relentless pressure on them, resulting in this long overdue announcement. I hope Weiss will not continue slow-walking the investigations into the president's son. We need accountability."

REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE LAUREN BOEBERT ON X:

"Merrick Garland just announced that he will appoint US Attorney Weiss as Special Counsel to look into Hunter Biden's matters. This is the same US Attorney who just tried to give Hunter a sweetheart deal. Given how Hunter has been treated this far, pardon me if I'm not extremely excited that anything will actually come of this."

NIKKI HALEY, CANDIDATE FOR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION, ON FOX NEWS:

"I don't trust it. I don't think the American people trust it. I don't think that the American people trust the Department of Justice or anything that this is going to do. I think this was meant to be a distraction."

(Reporting by Moira Warburton, David Morgan, Josephine Walker and Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Howard Goller)