A special advisor was appointed to investigate the management of these pieces, dating from the time when the current American president was the vice-president of Barack Obama.
By Piotr Smolar (Washington, correspondent)
The discomfort turns into a crisis. On January 9, we learned of the discovery of classified documents in an institute created by Joe Biden after leaving the White House, in 2017. Thursday, January 12, the presidency confirmed that others had been found in a second place. This is Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington (Delaware). “A small number” was in storage in the garage, according to a statement by Richard Sauber, special advisor to the American president. A document of a page was also identified in an “adjacent piece” which would, according to Joe Biden himself, his “personal library”.
In a solemn statement to the press, Attorney General (Minister of Justice), Merrick Garland, announced the appointment of a special adviser to investigate this case. He is Robert Hur, former prosecutor of Maryland and ex-framework of the ministry, also passed by the private sector. Mr. Garland detailed the routing of the facts, since November 2 and the discovery of the first package of documents, ie a dozen notes located in a cabinet at Penn Biden Center for diplomacy and global commitment, in the heart of Washington.
This chronology is important for administration, which claims an exemplary attitude. On November 4, the national archives, informed by the White House, alerted the office of the Attorney General. On November 9, federal police (FBI) began their evaluation. On November 14, Merrick Garland asked a magistrate appointed by Donald Trump, John Lausch, to examine the documents in question. Finally, on December 20, Joe Biden’s legal advisers warned justice that additional classified notes had been found in the garage. The ultimate discovery, in the library, was only announced on Thursday morning. On the other hand, the checks in the Rehoboth Beach family residence gave nothing. It was the last possible destination during the business move from Joe Biden of the White House, where he had spent eight years as vice-president of Barack Obama (2009-2017).
Les Républicains denounce the silence of the administration
It was on John Lausch’s recommendations that Merrick Garland decided to appoint a special advisor. This appeal gives, in the short term, a new dimension to the crisis and reinforces questions about proven negligence in confidential documents. We do not know the degree of classification of notes, nor their number and date, nor the subjects treated. It is also not known what their exact journey was, in six years, nor the reason why the White House waited until January 9 to confirm the first discovery made two months earlier. This is one of the most insistent arguments of the Republicans, who denounce this silence of the administration before the mid-term elections, November 8.
You have 61.1% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.