Bill Barr says he won’t appoint special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden

In last press conference, attorney general says he would have appointed one if he through one was needed

At his final press conference at the Justice Department, Attorney General William Barr said he will not appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden.

Mr Barr said that he has "not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel and I have no plan to do so before I leave."

Donald Trump has been privately pushing for the appointment of someone to investigate President-elect Joe Biden’s son.

Hunter Biden is currently the subject of a federal criminal investigation regarding his taxes. Mr Barr said he believed that the investigation is “being handled responsibly and professionally.”

The attorney general resigned last week and will step down on Wednesday.

He also said that he sees no reason for a special counsel to investigate the election results, sees no basis for the federal government to seize voting machines, and sided with secretary of state Mike Pompeo over the president by saying the massive hack of government computers looked to be the work of Russia.

The Biden transition team has said that the president-elect is not discussing the investigation of his son with any potential candidates to serve as attorney general when his administration takes office in January.

Mr Biden has said he is “confident” that his son Hunter did nothing wrong. Senate Republicans have been discussing launching their own investigation.

The president blasted his attorney general earlier this month as a “big disappointment” over the Hunter Biden tax probe.

Mr Barr was aware of  a federal investigation into the president-elect’s son for a year but keep it quiet during the election, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings were made a central theme of the president’s re-election campaign in an effort to tarnish his opponent’s reputation.

The outgoing president is furious that Mr Barr did not politicise the investigation and allow Mr Trump to use it to his advantage.

“Why didn’t Bill Barr reveal the truth to the public, before the Election, about Hunter Biden. Joe was lying on the debate stage that nothing was wrong, or going on - Press confirmed. Big disadvantage for Republicans at the polls!” he tweeted.

The Biden transition team issued a statement on 9 December in which Hunter Biden said that he has learned from federal prosecutors that his tax affairs are under investigation by the Delaware US Attorney’s office.