EXPLAINER: What are special counsels and what do they do?
The appointment of a special counsel to oversee the Justice Department’s probe of Hunter Biden is bringing renewed attention on the role such prosecutors have played in modern American history. On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who has been probing the financial and business dealings of the president’s son, to oversee the department’s investigation. He said Weiss asked to be appointed to the position and told him that “in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work,” now as special counsel. In January, Garland appointed