Garland Appoints Special Counsel To Investigate Biden's Classified Documents

The finding of a series of mishandled classified documents is haunting President Joe Biden as the Justice Department steps in.

What Happened: A first batch of documents were found at Biden’s former office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement on Monday. Another batch of documents was found at his home in Delaware last month, with new classified records coming up on Thursday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday afternoon that Robert Hur has been appointed as a special counsel to investigate the mishandling of classified records by the president.

Hur was appointed after an initial investigation by John Lausch, Chicago’s top federal prosecutor, indicated that additional research was needed, the attorney general said. 

“I am confident that Mr. Hur will carry out his responsibility in an even handed and urgent matter and in accordance with the highest traditions of this department,” said Garland, who described Hur as having a “long and distinguished career as a prosecutor.”

Hur served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland from 2018 to 2021.

The first documents, Garland said, were found on Nov. 4 and called in by White House staff. The FBI commenced an assessment of the situation on Nov. 9.

On December 20, additional classified documents were identified in the garage of Biden’s private residence in Delaware. The documents belong to the time Biden served as vice president for Barack Obama. An additional document was also found on Thursday, Dec 12.

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

The Political Backdrop: The DoJ investigation comes just months after a similar scandal marked the post-presidential career of former President Donald Trump. Several classified documents were found at Trump’s private residence at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, launching a DoJ investigation that continues to this day.

Trump’s mishandling of classified documents received wide public scrutiny, especially from members of Biden’s own Democratic Party.

Image by Wikimedia Commons.