President-elect Joe Biden is vowing to ensure that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is able to operate independently from political influence while he is in office.
However, some Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about Biden’s willingness to follow through on his pledge after his son, Hunter Biden, announced last week that he is under federal investigation for his taxes.
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), who has been tapped to be a senior adviser for Biden, was asked during an interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” whether he believes a special counsel should be appointed to investigate Hunter Biden.
“We won’t make any comment on that,” Richmond responded.
He went on to stress that the president-elect has expressed his desire for an “independent Department of Justice.”
“And he’s not going to meddle with the Department of Justice because it is that important to the rule of law, confidence of the American people, and to our government,” Richmond said.
Watch the video below:
Should the next AG recuse themselves from the #HunterBiden case?
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) December 13, 2020
"I'll let the incoming attorney general decide…It is my opinion they should be independent, the department of justice should be independent, and we will go from there," @RepRichmond tells @margbrennan pic.twitter.com/qbYEjqKODH
Host Margaret Brennan asked, “So does remaining independent, does that suggest that the incoming attorney general, whoever that person is … should they recuse themselves this case?”
“I’ll let the incoming attorney general decide. That is not my area of expertise,” Richmond said, adding, “Our position is that the incoming attorney general should be independent, the Department of Justice should be independent, and we will go from there.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Hunter Biden revealed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware is investigating his “tax affairs,” as IJR reported.
The news of the investigation and the prospect that it would not be complete by January 20, 2021, when Joe Biden is sworn in as president, has led Republicans to raise concerns about the independence of his pick to be attorney general.
Sen. John Hawley (R-Mo.) said, “Those U.S. attorneys who are involved in this investigation, their staff absolutely must stay on.”
“I mean, there can’t be any talk of replacing or transitioning them,” he added.
During the campaign, Biden vowed that he would appoint an attorney general who “understood his oath of office … that in fact could do and move on what the professionals in the department thought had to be pursued, without my interfering.”
