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☆ 3 potential frontrunners for the presidency in 2024 are now embroiled in classified documents controversies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Three potential frontrunner candidates for president are embroiled in classified documents controversies. Classified documents were found in the homes of Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Mike Pence. Former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence each improperly stored classified documents. In December 2022, Biden's attorney alerted Lausch that Biden's team found more classified documents near the garage of the president's Wilmington, Delaware home. After going through four boxes at his home, they found the small tranche of classified documents and alerted NARA.

☆ White House tells House Republicans probing Biden documents that it will cooperate with 'legitimate oversight'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — The White House Counsel's Office said it is reviewing recent requests from a GOP committee chair related to Biden's handling of classified documents and signaled they plan to cooperate to an extent. Delery, however, suggested that there will be a limit to what the White House is willing to share with Congress. To that end, White House staff will reach out to Committee staff to arrange a time to discuss this matter." Delery acknowledged that the FBI conducted a "thorough, consensual search" of Biden's Wilmington residence on Friday after the president's lawyers offered to provide access to his home. Comer's probe is one of two major House Republican investigations into the Biden documents.

The Department of Justice, which conducted a search that lasted over 12 hours, also took some notes that Biden had personally handwritten as vice president, according to the lawyer. The previous classified documents were found in the home's garage and in a nearby storage space. REUTERS/Al Drago 1 2 3 4The search shows federal investigators are swiftly moving forward with the probe into classified documents found in Biden's possession. Republicans have compared the investigation to the ongoing probe into how former President Donald Trump handled classified documents after his presidency. Since the discovery of Biden's documents, Trump has complained that Justice Department investigators were treating his successor differently.

☆ Sen. Joe Manchin criticizes Biden’s handling of classified documents: ‘Irresponsible’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Sunday criticized President Joe Biden for his handling of classified documents after six additional items were found at the president’s Delaware home. In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Manchin called Biden having classified documents in unsecured places “irresponsible” and voiced his support for Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision to appoint a special counsel to review the materials. Biden, Manchin continued, should own up to making mistakes after batches of classified records were found in recent weeks at his residence and a Washington office he used. Biden's personal attorney said Saturday that six additional items, including documents with classified markings, were found at the president’s home after Justice Department officials searched the residence. The DOJ has appointed special counsel Robert Hur, a former federal prosecutor who has worked with many Republicans throughout his law enforcement career, to oversee the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.

The previous classified documents were found in the home's garage and in a nearby storage space. The search shows federal investigators are swiftly moving forward with the probe into classified documents found in Biden's possession. Republicans have compared the investigation to the ongoing probe into how former President Donald Trump handled classified documents after his presidency. Since the discovery of Biden's documents, Trump has complained that Justice Department investigators were treating his successor differently. going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?"

WASHINGTON—Weeks after adding the National Football League as a client, former prosecutor Robert Hur received a call from Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to serve as the special counsel overseeing the investigation into classified documents found at a home and former office of President Biden. It was a request Mr. Hur told associates he didn’t feel he could refuse, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Hur accepted the appointment clear-eyed about the reputational risks of taking on an investigation into a sitting president, according to people familiar with his considerations, especially as a separate special counsel investigates former President Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents found at his South Florida residence and private club, Mar-a-Lago.

☆ White House aides were reportedly blindsided by AG Garland's appointment of a special counsel to investigate Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many in the White House were blindsided when AG Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden, WaPo reported. The GOP has accused the special counsel Robert Hur of being partisan, but a former Trump lawyer disagreed, saying he's "smart and experienced." That's why many in the White House were blindsided, according to The Washington Post, when Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden's mishandling of classified information. Republicans and Democrats alike have criticized the Biden White House for failing to disclose the existence of the DOJ's investigation for two months, despite having known about it since November. But Ty Cobb, who once served as Trump's White House counsel, dismissed those concerns.

☆ Trump claims documents found at Mar-a-Lago were empty folders labeled 'classified' that he'd kept because they were 'cool'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trump claimed that government records seized from Mar-a-Lago last year were empty folders marked "classified" or "confidential." He went on to say that he kept the "ordinary, inexpensive folders" because they were a "'cool' keepsake." He added: "Remember, these were just ordinary, inexpensive folders with various words printed on them, but they were a 'cool' keepsake." Documents seized by FBI at Mar-a-Lago. Following that discovery, Biden's legal team undertook an "exhaustive" search and uncovered a second batch of classified documents at another location, NBC News reported last week.

☆ Biden is 'fully cooperating' with DOJ probe of his handling of classified documents, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The White House disclosed Saturday that Biden's lawyers turned over new classified documents that were discovered at Biden's Delaware home. Last week the White House disclosed that classified government documents from the Obama administration were found in Biden's possession on four separate occasions. Though the documents were found on Nov. 2, the White House did not make the news public until last Monday. Other classified documents were found in Biden's possession at other locations in searches on Dec. 20, Jan. 12 and Jan. 14, according to the White House. Trump is the focus of a criminal probe by the DOJ for his removal of the records from the White House in January 2021.

The White House and U.S. Secret Service said Monday they do not maintain visitor logs for President Joe Biden’s personal home in Wilmington, Del., a day after a top House Republican called for their release. “Like every President across decades of modern history, his personal residence is personal,” White House counsel’s office spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement. The White House acknowledged on Saturday that more pages with classified markings were discovered at Biden's Delaware home than had been previously disclosed. On Saturday, the White House said additional pages marked classified from the Obama administration were found at Biden’s Wilmington residence, in addition to the two batches that were previously disclosed earlier in the week. In a Sunday interview with CNN”s “State of the Union,” Comer was pressed why his committee was focused on Biden’s documents but not Trump’s.

☆ House Oversight chair calls for release of visitor logs from Biden’s Delaware home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on Sunday asked for the release of visitors logs from President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware in a letter to White House chief of staff Ron Klain. “Given the serious national security implications, the White House must provide the Wilmington residence’s visitor log,” Comer wrote in the letter to Klain. The former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida was searched by the FBI last year after multiple attempts to obtain classified documents. The president is cooperating with the Justice Department and National Archives amid the discovery of the classified documents, she said. "He showed no interest in investigating the far more serious situation with about 100 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago with evidence in the public domain of obstruction.

☆ Trump targets the 'thug' special counsel investigating him and his 'Trump Hater' wife in new attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump attacked special counsel Jack Smith in recent days, calling him a "thug" and "terrorist." He claimed the Smith's wife, who worked on Michelle Obama's documentary, "a serial and open Trump Hater." Trump complained that the special counsel probing Biden's mishandling of classified documents was "a nice guy." ), is a Trump Hating THUG whose wife is a serial and open Trump Hater, whose friends & other family members are even worse," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. Trump claimed that Smith's "wife & family get a perfect "10" for spewing Trump HATE."

More classified documents from the Obama administration were found in President Joe Biden’s Delaware residence this week — in addition to the two batches that were previously disclosed — the White House said Saturday. The newest set of pages were discovered by White House lawyer Richard Sauber on Thursday in a box initially uncovered by the president's personal lawyers on Wednesday. The White House revealed earlier this week that Biden's lawyers had discovered one document with classified markings in a room adjacent to the garage of his Delaware home. "The President’s personal attorneys discovered one document with a classified marking consisting of one page in a room adjacent to the garage. At that point, the President’s personal attorneys stopped searching the immediate area where the document was found," Sauber said.

Aides previously found another batch of classified documents at his residence, and at a Washington think tank he was associated with. Earlier on Friday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer wrote to the White House asking whether Hunter Biden had access to classified documents found at the president's private residence. In addition to examining Biden's handling of classified documents, Republicans are preparing to probe Hunter Biden's past business dealings in Ukraine. Republicans have sought to compare the investigation of Biden's handling of classified documents to the ongoing probe into how Trump handled classified documents after his presidency. The White House said Biden's attorneys found a small number of classified documents and turned them over after discovery.

☆ Biden aides have discovered more pages of Obama-era classified documents at the president's Wilmington residence, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

More Obama-era classified documents were found at President Biden's Wilmington home, per The Times. The White House on Saturday announced that five additional pages were found on Thursday. "The President's lawyers have acted immediately and voluntarily to provide the Penn Biden documents to the Archives and the Wilmington documents to DOJ. The appointment of the Special Counsel in this matter this week means we will now refer specific questions to the Special Counsel's office moving forward. As I said Thursday, the White House will cooperate with the newly-appointed Special Counsel," the statement read.

The House Judiciary Committee announced Friday it's opened an investigation into the Obama-era classified documents that were found in President Joe Biden's Delaware home and his former Washington office. The White House acknowledged Thursday that classified documents dating back to Biden's time as vice president had been discovered in his garage in Delaware. Jordan and Johnson also renewed a request for information on the Trump investigation they made last year, when the committee was controlled by Democrats. "On August 15, 2022, Committee Republicans wrote to you and FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting documents and information related to the FBI’s raid of President Trump’s residence. The Justice Department has confirmed receipt of the letter but declined a request for comment.

☆ Two Presidents, Two Special Counsels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hear that quacking sound from Washington? It’s Attorney General Merrick Garland ’s latest duck. Faced with news that classified documents were recently found not only in a private office of President Biden’s but also his Delaware home, including in the garage, Mr. Garland on Thursday named another special counsel. “I strongly believe that the normal processes of this department can handle all investigations with integrity,” Mr. Garland said. “But under the regulations, the extraordinary circumstances here require the appointment of a special counsel.” He claimed this would make clear the Justice Department’s “commitment to both independence and accountability.” The new special counsel is Robert Hur , who clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist before starting a career as a federal prosecutor.

☆ Robert Hur Brings Experience With Political Pressure to Special-Counsel Role
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—When Rod Rosenstein left the Justice Department in 2019 after a rocky two years as deputy attorney general, his former top aide and protégé, Robert Hur, delivered a roast recalling the office’s capacity for comedic relief amid adversity. “When you’re going through tough times, when you say, ‘You can’t make this stuff up,’ you can either laugh or you can cry,” Mr. Hur said. “I certainly don’t remember any crying.”Mr. Hur’s resilience will soon be tested again. On Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed him as special counsel to oversee the investigation into classified documents discovered at President Biden’s home and an office he used at a Washington think tank following his vice presidency.

The White House said some material was found in a locked garage at Biden's home and an adjacent room, and pledged to cooperate. "People know I take classified documents and classified material seriously," he added. Biden's attorneys said they have found fewer than a dozen classified documents and turned over the relevant papers after finding them. Trump resisted doing so until an August FBI search turned up about 100 classified documents, raising questions about whether Trump or his staff obstructed the investigation. "People know I take classified documents, classified material seriously," Biden told reporters on Thursday.

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday named Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney during the Trump administration, as special counsel to examine why classified documents were found at President Biden’s home and office, intensifying scrutiny of Mr. Biden’s actions after he left the vice presidency in 2017. The appointment came after Mr. Biden’s lawyer said aides found classified records, likely dating from Mr. Biden’s time as vice president, at his Wilmington, Del., garage and at an office he used at a Washington-based think tank that bears his name. It heightens political pressure on the White House and sets up the unusual prospect of three concurrent Justice Department special counsels, two of whom are investigating the actions of the president or his chief rival for office. Lawmakers from both parties in Congress have also demanded details on the discovery of the documents.

☆ Robert Hur: special counsel on Biden classified document probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Michael A. McCoyWASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday named Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate whether President Joe Biden had improperly handled sensitive government documents. Hur was the U.S. attorney in Maryland during the Trump administration and most recently served as litigation partner at law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. A graduate of Stanford Law School and Harvard College, Hur served as top aide to then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein before his appointment as the U.S. Attorney in Maryland. He knows what he is getting into," Rosenstein told CNN on Thursday after Hur's appointment as special counsel. "I will conduct the assigned investigation with fair, impartial, and dispassionate judgment," Hur said in a statement released after his appointment as special counsel.

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden departs the White House to board the Marine One helicopter for travel to Delaware from the White House in Washington, U.S. January 13, 2023. The White House has said the documents were "inadvertently misplaced" and that it is cooperating fully but has declined to respond to detailed questions on the investigation. While working as the Obama campaign's general counsel in 2008, Bauer helped vet Biden as Obama's pick for vice president. He is married to Anita Dunn, another Biden confidant and senior White House adviser. Bauer will now work with White House lawyers as Biden responds to the special counsel's investigation.

"We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced," White House lawyer Richard Sauber said in a statement. The White House on Monday disclosed that classified documents from Biden's vice presidential days were discovered in November at a think tank in Washington. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 1 2 3 4 5"The fact that they called for special counsel for Trump's handling of classified documents, I don't see how they cannot appoint a special counsel with respect to Biden," said Representative James Comer, who will head the House Oversight Committee. Garland named a special counsel, Jack Smith, in November to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Trump, including the Republican former president's handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. "As I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents, classified material seriously.

☆ Who is Robert Hur? Special Counsel looking into Biden’s classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Robert Hur, named Thursday by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigation into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, is a former federal prosecutor who has worked with many Republicans throughout his law enforcement career. Garland appointed Hur as special counsel on Thursday after the White House acknowledged that Obama administration documents with classified markings were found in one of Biden’s Delaware homes. On Monday, the White House said that similar documents had been found in a Washington office. Hur has served as a partner at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher since April 2021 where he has focused on enforcement, investigations and litigation. In between his jobs at the Justice Department, Hur worked at another private law firm, King & Spalding.

The White House on Monday disclosed that classified documents from his vice presidential days were discovered in November at a think tank in Washington. Garland said Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney in Maryland, would serve as special counsel. Garland in November named a special counsel, Jack Smith, to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Donald Trump including the Republican former president's handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. "As I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents, classified material seriously. Biden in September called his predecessor's handling of classified documents "totally irresponsible."

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