An increasing amount of Republican senators say Attorney General William Barr should appoint a special counsel to investigate allegations surrounding business dealings by Hunter Biden.
In the final weeks of the presidential election, Republicans have increasingly focused on Biden, son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, claims to have obtained Hunter Biden’s private emails, photos, and texts from a Delaware computer repairman and given them to the New York Post.
Tony Bobulinski, an ex-business partner of Hunter Biden, revealed at a press conference Thursday night in Nashville, immediately before Joe Biden debated Trump, that he would be turning over three cellphones to the FBI on Friday.
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, a member of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s leadership team, told the Washington Examiner, “Well, I think I’m not a big fan of special counsels, but I’m worried if Trump loses the election, then that will all be just swept under the rug.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the panel that has been investigating the matter echoed Cornyn’s comments.
“I’m not a fan of special counsels. In this case. It might be the only solution to make sure that we finally get to the bottom of this,” Johnson told the Washington Examiner. “Again, it all depends on the election result, but that might be appropriate in this situation.”
Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley told the Washington Examiner a special counsel could be necessary to keep an investigation going regardless of whether Trump wins a second term or he is sent packing by Joe Biden, the former vice president and 36-year Delaware senator.
“I certainly think it should be investigated, and I think a special counsel may well be warranted,” Hawley said. “My bottom line is I think the investigation needs to continue uninterrupted. So if it takes a special counsel to do that, then I’d be for it.”
Not all Republican senators think a special counsel is warranted, arguing a Justice Department investigation would suffice.
“I think we’ve got enough proof of everything that’s bad that they’ve done, and I think what we need is the FBI and the Department of Justice to do their job,” Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, told the Washington Examiner. “I’ve studied this thing long enough. You don’t need a special counsel. Just go with the normal process.”
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told the Washington Examiner, “It’s still premature to reach any conclusions on any of that. Obviously, authorities are looking at that material, and it depends on what they find.”
