Democrats wasted no time in defending President Biden after classified Obama-era documents were discovered in his home garage and office.
Under heavy scrutiny from Republicans, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel on Thursday to examine classified documents that Biden claims he “inadvertently misplaced.”
Justice Department escalated from mere review to special counsel investigation after a second Confidential document stash It was found inside the garage of Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware. The first documents were found last year inside the Washington offices of the Penn-Biden Center think tank. Garland turned the investigation over to former US attorney Robert Herr.
In a statement first shared with Fox News Digital on Thursday night, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) explained the handling of Biden’s classified documents and the FBI’s execution against Trump’s Marla. He tried to highlight the “huge difference” in what was found during the investigation. Largo’s house in Florida last summer.
AG Garland Appoints Special Counsel To Investigate Sensitive Biden Documents
Democrats highlight “differences” in how Presidents Biden and former President Trump handled classified material outside of Washington.
(Photo by James Devaney/GC Images | Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“It’s refreshing to see the Justice Department recover from Trump-era politicization, and how quickly Attorney General Garland acted in appointing a special counsel to investigate the discovery of the Biden dossier,” Johnson said. “Based on what we know, there are significant differences between the Trump and Biden dossier cases.
“At first, Trump lied about its very existence, but his lawyers insisted there were no more documents. When he admitted, he rejected a number of demands to return them…he didn’t comply…subpoenas,” Johnson added. “Classified documents were actually seized from Trump’s own desk. Moreover, there are no documents to support the claim that any of the Trump documents were declassified.”
Mr Johnson said Trump’s handling of classified documents was an “open and shut case” and that it was “too early to draw any conclusions” about Mr Biden’s handling of classified documents.
“The Trump dossier case is an open-and-shut case that should move toward a final and just resolution without delay,” he said. “There’s still a lot we don’t know about the discovery of the Biden documents and it’s too early to draw any conclusions, but I’m confident that the process to get to the truth will begin and justice will be done.” “
Before making a statement that it was too early to draw any conclusions about the handling of Biden’s documents, Johnson told Fox News’ Hilary Vaughn about the “timing” surrounding the exposure of classified materials at Biden’s residence. “planted” suggesting they may have been
Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson said Thursday it was “too early to draw any conclusions” about how Biden handled classified documents.
(Aldrago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I’m also aware of the fact that things can be planted in people…things can be planted in places and conveniently discovered,” he said. “That could be what happened here. I’m not ruling it out, but I’m open to the fact that it requires investigation.”
Despite Johnson speculating that the documents may have been planted, Biden told Fox News’ White House correspondent Peter Doocy that he knew they were in his garage. Admitted.
“So the papers were in the locked garage?” Doocy asked.
“Yes, same as my Corvette,” Biden replied.
Republicans react to classified documents in Biden’s garage: ‘Too many questions and I don’t know where to start’
California Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff also pointed out Trump when asked about Biden’s possession of classified documents at his Delaware home, citing how Biden and Trump handled the materials. There are “contrasting factors,” he told Fox News.
“As far as I can see, there is a big difference between the situation of President Biden and the former president.
California Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff told Fox News there were “contrasting factors” in the way Biden and Trump handled classified material.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semanski)
Schiff concluded that there was no apparent wrongdoing by Biden, saying it “certainly looks” that Biden’s handling of the documents was “careless.”
“Was this inadvertent? It certainly seems so. Was there evidence of sabotage? Certainly no evidence of that. Was there evidence that the security of the document was compromised? I I haven’t seen any evidence of that, either,” he said.
“Anytime classified documents are in places they shouldn’t be, I think that’s a serious concern for us at the Intelligence Committee.” california democrat Added.
Democratic Rep. Jim Cliburn of South Carolina, who supports Garland’s move to appoint a special counsel, argued that Biden’s handling of the material was “dramatically different” compared to Trump’s.
“In this case, the two are dramatically different,” Cliburn said during an appearance on MSNBC. “There is no intention on the president’s part. The cooperation on the president’s part is there.
Of the appointment of the special counsel to investigate, Cliburn said, “This is the kind of thing that has to be agreed upon by the public, and I don’t think you can get the public to agree to anything without full disclosure.” Stated.
Comparing how Trump and Biden handled classified material, Rep. Jim Cliburn, DS.C., said the two cases were “dramatically different.”
(Stephanie Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Other Democrats also backed the appointment of a special counsel, including Washington Democrats Adam Smith and Pramila Jayapal, both of whom declined to mention Trump. rice field.
“I support the decision to appoint a special counsel,” Smith told Fox News. “The proper handling of classified information is critical to national security. Whenever classified information is found where it should be, the Department of Justice must conduct a thorough investigation.”
Similarly, Jayapal, who heads the parliamentary Progressive Party caucus, said it was irresponsible not to disclose the document, but concluded that the president was cooperating with the Justice Department.
“[Biden] I certainly did. And he’s been working with us to make sure everything is revealed. That’s what should happen,” she added.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, said it was “irresponsible not to disclose the documents,” but said Biden was cooperating with the Justice Department.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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White House attorneys say they immediately contacted the Justice Department when they discovered the documents this week. There is no indication as to what the document is or whether Biden or anyone else read it after Biden stepped down as vice president.
A White House attorney said in a statement Thursday, “Among personal and political documents, attorneys have discovered a small number of additional Obama-Biden administration records marked as classified. All but one were found in the garage storage space of the President’s Wilmington mansion.”Among the archives in an adjacent room, a one-page document was found. .”
The White House says no documents were found at Biden’s mansion in Rehoboth Beach. The Biden administration also arranged for the documents to be placed under the control of the Justice Department.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Greg Wehner contributed to this article.
