President Joe Biden, 80, said Republican requests for more information about the newly discovered classified docs found in his Wilmington, De., garage and at his old Univ. of Penn. office. Biden said Aug. 8, after the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, that Trump was “totally irresponsible” removing classified docs from the White House to his private Palm Beach estate. Biden’s counsel said five additional classified docs were found Jan. 14 at his Wilmington home, turning immediately over to the Justice Department. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden’s classified docs were different from Trumps in that the DOJ didn’t have to go after the docs but were immediately made available to the DOJ and National Archives. Karine doesn’t admit that Biden’s docs stem from Jan. 20, 2017, the day Trump was sworn in as president.
Democrats and the press want to make the starkest possible contrast between Biden and Trump, wanting Special Counsel Jack Smith to throw the book at Trump. Biden’s handlers refuse to admit they withheld classified docs from the press until after the Midterm elections. Biden’s attorneys knew about the classified docs in early November but deliberately withheld them until only the last few weeks. White House officials went of the offense, talking about House Speaker Kevn McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) secret deals made to win the job Jan. 7. When it came to discrediting Trump, Democrats and press were all in on the Aub. 8, 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid, praising Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland. Few knew that Garland had little to do with the raid, deferring to his 54-year-old main lieutenant Deputy Atty. Gen. Lisa Monaco, an old Obama holdout involved in the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation of Trump.
White House Spokesman Ian Sams diverted the press from asking tough questions about the timing of the release of Biden’s classified docs, blasting McCarthy and MAGA Republicans for secret deals to get McCarthy elected. “They’re faking outrage about disclosure and transparency at the same time, for example, that they will not ask their speaker to release the secret deals that he made in order to get support from the far-right extreme MAGA members of the caucus,” said Sams. What does McCarthy’s election have anything to do with Biden’s attorney deciding to wait until after the Midterms to release his classified docs? Democrats and the press know that Biden’s problems have made charging Trump impossible for the DOJ, even with Special Counsel Jack Smith trying to focus on Trump. Democrats and the press thought the Mar-a-Lago raid gave the DOJ the best chance of indicting Trump.
Biden’s classified docs scandal makes it difficult for the DOJ to pursue charges against Trump because the legal standard involves Trump deliberately concealing docs from the National Archives. There’s zero evidence that Trump even knew what was in the boxes that wound up in Mar-a-Lago’s basement. By the same token, there’s no evidence that Biden had any clue that he possessed at any location classified docs from his time as Vice President. Appointing former U.S. Atty. Robert Hur, Garland hoped to show impartiality but he showed his lack of common sense. Once knowing about the Biden classified docs, Garland should have terminated Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s alleged crimes. Garland had no need to appoint a Special Counsel for Biden, simply because he appointed one Nov. 18, 2022 for Trump. Worthless classified docs are of no consequence to anyone.
White House’s aggressive response to the classified docs indicates that they’re concerned about any political fallout for Biden’s 2024 presidential run. Whether the controversy lasts beyond next week is anyone’s guess. “We’re learning drip-by-drip, bit by bit, the kinds of things he gave away in those negotiations and the serious impact they have on the American people,” Sams said. Sams knows that whatever McCarthy negotiated with his Republican caucus, it has nothing to do with classified docs found in Biden’s possession. Sams shows the White House is in damage control mode, putting blame of Republicans, for defending Trump against the DOJ’s case. Recent statements on Truth Social, Trump questioned why the DOJ has orders a raid on Biden’s Wilmington residence or any other place where his Vice Presidential classified docs turned up.
Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland should meet with Monaco and decide whether it’s time to throw in the towel on the Special Counsel investigation, looking into actionable offenses by Trump. When it comes to classified docs, there’s no case to made for Biden or Trump, since the docs were found inadvertently, not deliberately concealed from the DOJ or anyone else. When it comes to the Jan. House Select Committee recommendations, Garland knows that there’s no real criminal case against Trump. In year-and-half the only case made by the Committee is a partisan case against Trump. Democrats and certain anti-Trump Republicans insist Trump planned and orchestrated the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. But all the committee has are personal opinions, not facts to prove Trump actively participated in the crimes. Garland needs to act swiftly and end his DOJ inquiry into charging Trump.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
