Along with other documents found in his garage the announcement followed Mr. Biden’s acknowledgement earlier in the day that a document with classified markings from his time as Vice-President was found in his personal library.
On January 12 U.S. Attorney-General Merrick Garland to investigate the presence of documents with classified documents. A special counsel to investigate documents found at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at an office in Washington.
It was disclosed on January 9 that sensitive documents were found at the office of his former institute in Washington. The announcement followed Mr. Biden’s acknowledgement earlier in the day that a document with classified markings from his time as Vice-President was found in his personal library, along with other documents found in his garage.
Robert Hur, the former Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Maryland, will lead the investigation, taking over from the top Justice Department prosecutor in Chicago, John Lausch, who was earlier assigned by the department to investigate the matter. Mr. Hur is to begin his work soon.
For a Justice Department that has spent months looking into the retention by Donald Trump of more than 300 documents with classification markings found at the former president’s Florida estate. The appointment of yet another special counsel to investigate the handling of classified documents is a remarkable turn of events, legally and politically.
Though the situations are factually and legally different, the discovery of classified documents at two separate locations tied to Mr. Biden as well as the appointment of a new special counsel would almost certainly complicate any prosecution that the department might bring against Mr. Trump.
Mr. Biden told reporters at the White House that he is “cooperating fully and completely” with a Justice Department investigation. Earlier in the day, into how classified information and government records made their way to his home and the office of his former institute in Washington.
