The law firm that defends Hunter Biden during the Justice Department investigation into him has hired a top Biden DOJ criminal Division official.
Nicholas McQuaid was named acting chief of Justice Department’s Criminal Division during the Biden administration. According to court filings reviewed and reported by the Washington Examiner, McQuaid was a partner in Latham & Watkins with Hunter Biden defense attorney Christopher Clark. He worked on cases together until McQuaid accepted the job at Justice Department.
McQuaid was an acting assistant attorney general, then deputy assistant attorney General for the DOJ’s Criminal Division. He returned to Latham this month. The firm claims McQuaid is not involved with any work that involves President Joe Biden’s child.
A spokesperson for Latham stated to the Washington Examiner that McQuaid had not represented Hunter Biden or been involved in the matter while he was at Latham. “He had also not been involved in the Hunter Biden probe while he was at Department of Justice, and he will no longer be representing Mr. Biden now he has returned home to Latham,” said a spokesperson for Latham. The Washington Examiner contacted the DOJ but they declined to comment.
In February 2021, the DOJ suggested that McQuaid might have withdrawn from the Hunter Biden case. However, they did not directly say. According to the Washington Examiner, McQuaid was “screened out of matters in which he may have a financial interest or personal business relationship,” including those involving his former law practice.
Biden requested that all Senate-confirmed U.S. lawyers resign in February 2021. Delaware U.S. attorney David Weiss was an exception and was asked to continue his investigation into Hunter Biden. John Durham, U.S. Attorney from Connecticut, was asked to resign but was retained as special counsel.
“Obviously there is a conflict of interest. But it would depend on (a), how much McQuaid was involved in Hunter’s representation by L&W and (b) how much U.S. attorney Weiss had with the Criminal Division of Main Justice regarding the Biden probe,” Andrew McCarthy, a contributor editor at National Review, said to the Washington Examiner. McCarthy was a former prosecutor.
McCarthy said: “There could have been a good reason why McQuaid wouldn’t need to be removed, but I don’t know of any good reason why Garland or DOJ would not share information with Congressmen and the public about the Biden investigation and who, if any, has been exonerated.” This explanation would not compromise the investigation, it is clear.
Sens. Sens.
“This association creates a clear conflicts of interest, yet the Department has failed provide adequate answers to the threshold questions about whether Mr. McQuaid had or had any role on the Hunter Biden criminal investigation and whether he was recused from it,” Grassley and Johnson wrote in May to Weiss. “In light the clear conflicts that Mr. McQuaid has in the Hunter Biden investigation Attorney General Garland’s silence raises serious suspicion and has cast doubt over the investigation.”
Johnson and Grassley wrote a July letter asking Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray to ask, “Is Mr. McQuaid disqualified from the Hunter Biden criminal trial?” If so, when was it? Please provide the recusal memo. In a speech to the Senate floor in July, Grassley stated that Garland had “repeatedly failed” to answer questions regarding the Hunter Biden investigation. This included McQuaid.