America is barreling toward an election fraught with controversy, high-stakes court cases, and even impeachment hearings.

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, the two most likely candidates for president in 2024, will be saddled by politically charged legal matters involving a trio of special counsels. 

Unusual dynamics split US politics 

To take a closer look, Axios shed light on the appointment of Special Counsel David Weiss of Delaware to investigate Hunter Biden by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday means that a once-closed case involving late taxes and firearms charges might proceed to trial just as the campaign gets underway.

It also raises the prospect of additional accusations against Hunter at a time when House Republicans are vigorously investigating whether his business dealings involved unlawful activities that could lead to President Biden's impeachment.

The president's lawyers are discussing the terms of an interview with another special counsel, Robert Hur, who is looking into Joe Biden's handling of secret documents.

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Trump already faces three criminal prosecutions next year for alleged hush money payments to a porn actress, mishandling of confidential materials, and attempting to overturn the 2020 election.

If Special Counsel Jack Smith gets his way, Trump's trial in D.C. could begin two weeks before the Iowa caucuses in January, on accusations of conspiracy to overturn the election. Trump's classified materials trial, which Smith will also prosecute, is set for May in Florida.

A fourth Trump charge appears imminent in Georgia, where a grand jury is probing whether Trump attempted to change the state's election results in 2020.

What does that mean? 

Weiss' appointment in Hunter Biden's case means that the investigation, which appeared to be wrapping up until a potential plea deal fell through last month, will continue, with a constitutionally mandated public report to be released at the end.

It could also derail Republicans' efforts to have Weiss, who was prosecuting Hunter's case in Delaware, testify before a House committee after the August session.

The Justice Department normally does not comment on pending investigations. Neither Robert Mueller nor John Durham testified before Congress until the conclusion of their respective investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and the FBI's handling of that investigation.

Hunter's attorney, Chris Clark, stated in a statement, "Whether in Delaware, Washington, D.C., or anywhere else, we expect a fair resolution free of politics, and we'll do whatever it takes on Mr. Biden's behalf to achieve that."

Keep an eye on the Bidens

House Republicans are increasing the pressure on the Justice Department for what they perceive to be biased and unethical Biden family business transactions — all while preparing the framework for impeachment of the president.

Weiss' appointment, according to a representative for House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), is "just a new way to whitewash the Biden family's corruption."

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) described it as "efforts to attempt a Biden family cover-up."

After Hunter's plea deal fell through, his former business associate Devon Archer testified to Congress that Hunter had put his father on speaker phone with Hunter's business associates on multiple occasions when Joe Biden was vice president.