AG Garland appoints special counsel to investigate President Biden’s potential mishandling of classified documents

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate the discovery of classified documents at two locations tied to President Biden. Garland made the announcement on the heels of a second batch of documents being found at the president’s personal home in Delaware.

“I’m here today to announce the appointment of Robert Hur as a special counsel,” said Garland at a news conference Thursday.

Garland appointed Robert Hur as the special counsel following an initial investigation by the Department of Justice. Garland said given the extraordinary circumstances; a special counsel was necessary.

“This appointment underscores for the public the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters. And to make decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law,” Garland said.

Garland said on November 4th, 2022, the National Archives contacted the DOJ saying the White House told them about classified documents at President Biden’s former personal office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington DC. Five days later, the FBI did an ‘assessment’ to see if any laws were broken.

On November 14th, Garland said the U.S. Attorney in Illinois, John Lausch, did an initial investigation into whether a special counsel was needed to oversee the case.

Last month, on December 20th, Biden’s personal lawyer told the DOJ they found more classified documents in the garage of the president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware.

Garland said last Thursday he was briefed by Lausch and Lausch said a special counsel was “warranted.”

Then, this morning, Biden’s lawyers called the DOJ again to say another classified document was found in what President Biden describes as his “personal library.”

Prior to Garland’s announcement Thursday, President Biden was asked about the second batch of documents found in his house.

The reporter said, “Classified material next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?” Biden responded, ”My Corvette is in a locked garage. Okay? So, it’s not like they’re sitting out in the street.”

President Biden said he and the White House are fully cooperating with the investigation. Meanwhile, Republicans on Capitol Hill say Congress has to do its own investigation.

“Here’s an individual that’s been in office for more than 40 years. Who sat on 60 mins, that was so concerned about President Trump’s documents locked in behind. Now we find it just as a V ice President he was keeping it, for years, out in the open in different locations,” said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

Special Counsel Robert Hur released a statement saying he will conduct the investigation with “with fair, impartial, and dispassionate judgment” and will “follow the facts.”