Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special council that has to take over the investigation into classified documents found in President Joe Biden’s home and former private office.
Special Prosecutor Robert Hur.
The appointment is a important moment for Biden, who has been clean and avoided legal trouble while in the White House. The special counsel investigation, coupled with an aggressive new Republican-led House, means Biden could be on the defensive for the next two years.
The appointment comes hours after the White House Counsel’s Office said in a statement that Biden’s aides found documents marked classified in two locations inside his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
The documents were in Biden’s garage and a storage area in an adjoining room, the statement says. Biden often spends weekends at his home located in an opulent, wooded residence on a lake.
In a speech on Thursday, Biden said the documents were in a “locked garage” and that he was fully cooperating with the Department of Justice.
He said, “It’s not like they’re sitting on the street.” When the reporter asked why he was keeping classified materials next to his sports car, he insisted.
“Soon we’ll have a chance to talk about all this,” the president said.
The special counsel’s announcement significantly expands an existing investigation that began as a preliminary review handled by U.S. prosecutors in Chicago. This also increases potential legal exposure for Biden and his aides and lawyers, who have been dealing with sensitive government material since his time as vice president. Garland has insulated himself from the politically sensitive case by appointing a special prosecutor, but still has the final say on whether to press charges. If that decision is made, it is clear that it will be a major flashpoint in the 2024 presidential election regardless of the outcome.
This development also puts the Department of Justice and the FBI in a position they don’t want. We are right in the middle of a presidential election for the third year in a row.
Since 2015, there have been near-constant FBI investigations of the president and major candidates. Hillary Clinton’s email; Trump’s relationship with Russia; efforts to overturn the 2020 election and hoarding classified materials; Biden now handles classified files.
The documents were found during a search of the president’s homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. There were no classified documents on Rehoboth’s property, the statement said. Documents were found “among personal and political documents”.
Biden’s lawyers concluded their review of the Delaware home on Wednesday evening.
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