Staff Reports
On Sunday, Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, made appearances on two different news shows and engaged in some serious misinformation. According to a fact-check done by Empower Oversight, Lowell was spreading false information about U.S. Attorney David Weiss and the thoroughness of the investigation into Hunter Biden. Empower’s president, Tristan Leavitt, took to Twitter to address these inaccuracies.
WOW! I learned a lot more than I already knew about the charges against Hunter Biden, thanks to @EMPOWR_us, tweeted out by @tristanleavitt. I put together a write-up for my latest at @townhallcom. https://t.co/SMqtj8J4Si
— Rebecca Downs????? (@RebeccaRoseGold) August 19, 2023
Firstly, Lowell claimed that Weiss had the same authority before and after being appointed as special counsel, but that’s simply not true. The fact-check pointed out that Weiss only gained the power to bring charges on his own after being appointed special counsel. It seems like Lowell is just trying to downplay the significance of Weiss’ appointment.
Really tired of seeing Abbe Lowell's misinformation all weekend about the Hunter Biden case, so I'll be sharing through @EMPOWR_us some regular posts to reconnect what he said with reality. pic.twitter.com/SplrJ5HQIo
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 14, 2023
So if Weiss never asked for special charging authority—despite discussing it with Dept officials “months before” telling agents in October 2022 he would seek it if denied in the Central District of California—it reinforces that he doesn’t have the independence to do the job now. https://t.co/Ha3P1Sl10S pic.twitter.com/3NhifZmCQf
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 18, 2023
Abbe Lowell had a lot to say this weekend about how the only reason things would change from the two misdemeanors was if something other than the facts and the law changed. As documents show, something other than the facts and law "infected the process" well before the plea deal. pic.twitter.com/J6EgGwSFV2
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 14, 2023
The full document just went out via email… If you're not on our email list, sign up at https://t.co/JHG9xf0Xyx (or DM me if you'd like on our reporter list too). pic.twitter.com/EFFf8Bg2uF
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 15, 2023
Lowell also made a big deal about how long and detailed the investigation was, but the fact-check revealed that there were actually false deductions on Hunter Biden’s tax returns, which is a felony offense. The fact-check also pointed out that the plea deal Hunter Biden received was far more lenient than what others have received for similar offenses. It seems like Lowell is trying to paint Hunter Biden as a victim here, but the facts tell a different story.
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 15, 2023
Abbe Lowell has argued politics will have infected the process if the government pursues anything other than the sweetheart deal it proposed to his client, but it seems pretty likely politics infected the process from the very beginning. pic.twitter.com/ewSRawg4Kt
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 15, 2023
Hunter's defense will no doubt try to use the fact that this case was dead prior to the whistleblower disclosures to claim its resurrection was political. But politics instead benefited their client at every stage, and the case was only dead because of Biden political appointees. pic.twitter.com/pqrmz9Ebe0
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 16, 2023
Abbe Lowell is out there spreading misinformation again… He says the investigation into Hunter Biden was a "Republican-started investigation." I guess he missed that the IRS special agent who opened the case in Nov. 2018, Joe Ziegler, is a Democrat. https://t.co/bL6La2BVuW pic.twitter.com/dUQFcgwbem
— Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) August 18, 2023
Additionally, Lowell tried to use the fact that Weiss was appointed by Donald Trump to discredit the investigation. However, the fact-check revealed that Weiss had served under the Obama administration as well and had support from Democrats in Delaware. Lowell’s attempt to inject partisanship into the situation just doesn’t hold up.
Overall, it’s clear from this fact-check that Lowell’s claims are full of misinformation and distortions. It’s important to take the facts into account and not be swayed by partisan spin. The truth is that Hunter Biden received favorable treatment and the investigation into him was not as thorough as Lowell would like us to believe.
