Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss as a special counsel in his investigation of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, Garland announced on Friday.

Weiss asked Garland to be appointed special counsel on Tuesday and Garland said he concluded it was in the public interest after considering the request.

A senior Department of Justice official told reporters that this is the first time Weiss has asked to be appointed special counsel. Weiss himself has said the same before, pushing back on claims by an IRS whistleblower.

“This appointment confirms my commitment to provide Mr. Weiss all the resources he requests,” Garland said. “It also reaffirms that Mr. Weiss has the authority he needs to conduct a thorough investigation and to continue to take the steps he deems appropriate in dependently based only on the facts and the law.”

Garland said Weiss “will continue to have the authority and responsibility that he has previously exercised to oversee the investigation and decide where, when and whether to file charges.”