Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) pushed back on critics of the House investigation into Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, on Friday, saying a future Republican attorney general — like himself — could push for charges years from now.
“I don’t ascribe to the theory that we just have to surrender sending criminal referrals because somehow [Attorney General] Merrick Garland will never prosecute them,” Gaetz said in a Newsmax interview on Friday.
“For many of the crimes that we are observing, the statute of limitations is five years, and so we could send criminal referrals to the Department of Justice, we go take the White House back, and you never know, David, it may be an Attorney General Matt Gaetz down the road or someone of my liking who will be there to actually enforce the law and provide the accountability. Not just the vision, but the actual accountability.”
Garland appointed a special counsel for the Hunter Biden investigation on Friday. The move was met by skepticism from Republicans, who don’t trust attorney David Weiss to levy more charges, and from Hunter Biden’s attorneys.
Weiss led an agreed plea deal which fell through in recent weeks over questions about immunity. Appointed by former President Trump, He has investigated the younger Biden since 2018. New charges are expected in the case.
The separate House investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China and his tax records has been embroiled in controversy over the reliability of an IRS whistleblower. Democrats have called the investigation a “witch hunt.”
Gaetz admitted that an appointment to lead the Department of Justice is unlikely.
“The world is not ready, probably,” he said. “Certainly Senate confirmation wouldn’t be, but you know, a boy can dream.”