The US Attorney General, Merrick Garland, has appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents found at President Joe Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at his former office in Washington. This follows the discovery of a classified document with markings from his time as Vice President in Biden's personal library, along with other classified documents found in his garage.
Fox 4 reports the special counsel, Robert Hur, who is a former Trump-appointed U.S attorney in Maryland, will take over from the top Justice Department prosecutor in Chicago, John Lausch, who was originally assigned to investigate the matter. Hur's mandate is to investigate whether any person or entity violated the law. Garland stated that this appointment shows the department's commitment to independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters and that decisions are made based on the facts and the law.
The investigation into the handling of these classified documents is a significant development for the Biden administration and the Justice Department. Fox 4 reports the discovery of classified documents at two separate locations linked to Biden and the appointment of a special counsel is likely to complicate any prosecution that the department might bring against former President Donald Trump, who was also investigated for the retention of more than 300 documents with classification markings found at his Florida estate.
Biden has stated that he is cooperating fully with the Justice Department investigation and that his lawyers have acted promptly upon the discovery of the mistake. Richard Sauber, a special counsel to the President, stated that they are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced.
The investigation is expected to focus on the handling of these documents, including how they were stored, whether they were properly secured, and if any laws were broken in their handling. Fox 4 reports the special counsel, Robert Hur, has stated that he will conduct the assigned investigation with fair, impartial, and dispassionate judgment and that he intends to follow the facts wherever they lead.
This investigation is likely to raise questions about the Biden administration's handling of classified information and government records, and the potential security risks that may have resulted from the mishandling of these documents. The outcome of this investigation could have implications for the Biden administration, as well as for the handling of classified information in the future.
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