Special counsel David Weiss said the president’s claims that his son was subject to selective prosecution undermined the rule of law.

The special prosecutor prosecuting US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden has accused the outgoing president of undermining the justice system, claiming the prosecution was selective and unfair.

Special counsel David Weiss said in his final report on the case released on Monday that the president’s assertion that his son was charged separately was “unfounded and false.”

“Other presidents have pardoned family members, but none have used this as an opportunity to defame Department of Justice civil servants based solely on false accusations,” Weiss said in the 280-page report.

Weiss, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden Jr., said the decision to prosecute the president’s son was the result of impartial investigations and that raising questions about those investigations undermined “the fundamental foundation of fairness and impartiality in the American justice system.”

“This undermines public confidence in institutions that are vital to upholding the rule of law,” Weiss said.

Weiss said the prosecutions were far from selective but “a demonstration of equal access to justice – no matter who you are or what your last name is, you are subject to the same laws as everyone else in the United States.”

Under Justice Department rules, the special counsel submits a final report at the conclusion of an investigation.

The elder Biden pardoned his son last month for gun and tax convictions after pledging not to use presidential power to intervene.

The president said any reasonable person looking at the facts of the case would conclude that his son was being “selectively and unfairly” prosecuted because of his last name.

“There have been ongoing efforts to dismantle Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years despite the relentless attacks and selective prosecution he faced,” Biden said at the time.

Hunter Biden was convicted of firearms charges in June for lying about his drug use on a background check form. In September, Biden admitted to evading $1.4 million in taxes in a separate case.

He was awaiting verdicts in both cases when his father announced the pardon.

Hunter Biden’s lawyers criticized Weiss’ report, saying the special counsel failed to explain why prosecutors “frantically pursued and uncovered” the conspiracy involving the president’s son.

“It is clear from this report that the investigation into Hunter Biden is a warning shot of an abuse of prosecutorial power,” Abbey Lowell said in a statement.