Following the discovery that President Joe Biden was in possession of classified materials from his time as vice president in Barack Obama’s administration, Attorney General Merrick Garland made the decision on Thursday to appoint a special counsel to conduct an investigation into the president’s actions.
Garland explained his decision to appoint a special counsel by stating, “I found that under the special counsel regulations, it was in the public interest to appoint a special counsel,” emphasizing that he made his decision on January 5th.
He stated that former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Robert Hur, appointed by former President Donald Trump, would conduct an investigation against Biden.
“Mr. Hur has a lengthy and distinguished history as a prosecutor,” Garland stated, adding, “I will guarantee that Mr. Hur obtains all of the resources necessary to carry out his duties.”
The Justice Department’s conduct of the inquiry was outlined by the Attorney General, who also revealed that the probe had already been well under way when it was initially made public.
Garland stated that he was first made aware of Biden’s possession of sensitive information on the evening of November 4, when his lawyer discovered them in his office at the Penn-Biden Center.
“That office was not allowed to keep classified materials,” Garland explained.
According to Garland, the FBI launched an inquiry on November 9th to see if the classified material discovered in Biden’s possession had been improperly handled.
Garland said that on November 14th, he gave U.S. Attorney John Lausch the task of opening an inquiry into the president in connection to the papers discovered at the Penn-Biden facility.
He also claimed that on December 20th, Joe Biden’s counsel notified them about the confidential documents discovered in his garage and secured by the FBI.
Richard Sauber, the lawyer for Vice President Joe Biden, issued a statement in which he said that Biden’s possession of the classified materials was a “mistake” and that the records had been “inadvertently misplaced.”
“We have worked extensively with the Justice Department throughout its investigation, and we will continue to work closely with the Special Counsel,” he added.
