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Democrats are in a more than ambiguous position regarding the classified documents that Joe Biden had in his Wilmington home. After the relentless criticism they hurled at Donald Trump in 2022, it will be very difficult for them to downplay the seriousness of the matter. Some former Democratic officials have already started to weigh in.
Following comments by David Gergen, who served four presidential administrations, a top Barack Obama official decided to give his take on the case. Walter Shaub did not hold just any post during the tenure of the first African-American president of the United States. Paradoxically, he served as chief ethics officer between 2013 and 2017.
Speaking to Fox News, he asserted that “the fact that the White House didn’t mention that records were found in more than one location when first asked about them was a breach of trust with the public and a self-inflicted wound.”
In addition, while noting that “it’s nothing like Trump’s deliberate refusal to return classified records demanded by the National Archives,” he asserted that “Biden’s own retention of classified records reflects an inexcusable neglect of the most basic security protocols.”
Shaub also referred to the president’s legal situation. Although it is well known that a special prosecutor can open a pandora’s box at any time, for the former official it is “unlikely that he’s at risk of any of legal consequences.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced last Thursday that former Attorney Robert Hur would be the special prosecutor in the case.
Classified documents at Joe Biden’s residences
According to Richard Sauber, White House counsel, the first discovery of documents took place in November, when Biden’s staff found 10 classified documents hidden in an envelope inside the president’s private office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington.
As a precaution, a second search of the president’s offices and residences yielded a new discovery. Another batch of classified documents were found in the garage of the Wilmington residence, where they shared a room with Biden’s Corvette Stingray.
The documents date back to the Obama-Biden administration and it is not clear what kind of information they contain or who had contact with them.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]