“The extraordinary circumstances here necessitate the appointment of a special counsel to this matter. This appointment underscores the department’s commitment to independence and accountability on particularly sensitive matters,” Garland said in a televised appearance.
The materials were discovered in early November last year in an office Biden used after serving in the Barack Obama administration (2009-2017), an event reported by the president’s attorneys to the National Archives and the Justice Department reviewed the Mounds Newspaper.
According to the source, an evaluation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation was made a few days later, while Garland escalated the matter to US Attorney John Lausch, who reviewed the case and recommended the appointment of a special counsel.
On Dec. 20, Biden’s attorneys told Lausch that additional files were found in the garage of the president’s home in Delaware and the next day another document was identified at the home, which was also reported to appropriate authorities, the reported News outlet.
Ahead of Garland’s announcement, the White House issued a statement reassuring the ruler’s intention to work with authorities.
“We are fully cooperating with the National Archives and the Justice Department in a process to ensure that all records of the Obama-Biden administration are properly held in the archives,” said Attorney Richard Sauber.
In brief statements to reporters, Biden said the second papers found remained in storage areas and filing cabinets in his home in his personal library.
“People know that I take documents and classified information seriously,” he said.
The emergence of classified records linked to Biden has prompted oversight requests such as those made by House Intelligence Committee chair Conservative Mike Turner.
Even some Democrats are recognizing the sensitivity of the situation, just as members of the current cabinet like Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas face a no-confidence motion in Congress.
Hur, Garland’s appointed special counsel, was appointed Maryland federal attorney by former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), a position he held from 2018 to 2021.
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