Washington: US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed a special counsel for the probe into Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, according to an Associated Press report.

David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who had already been probing Hunter Biden’s financial dealings, was named by Garland as special counsel after plea deal talks in the case broke down, said the report.

The appointment of the special counsel is deemed as a significant development from typically cautious Garland, and provides Weiss with independence, authority and budget to pursue the investigation.