Special Counsel Robert Hur to investigate Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents
- US President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents erupts into a political crisis with potential legal repercussions
- Classified documents found in garage of Biden’s Delaware home after first set discovered at Washington office building
US Attorney General Merrick Garland named a special counsel to probe the improper storage of classified documents at President Joe Biden’s home and former office, an echo of a wider-ranging inquiry directed at former president Donald Trump.
The inquiry is a distraction for the Democratic president, who has criticised his Republican predecessor’s handling of classified material, and could cast a shadow over Biden as both men gear up for a possible 2024 election rematch.
Garland said Robert Hur, who served as the top federal prosecutor in Maryland under Trump, will act as a quasi-independent prosecutor to determine whether classified records from Biden’s time as vice-president had been improperly stored at his residence in Delaware and a think tank in Washington.
Garland said Hur will examine “whether any person or entity violated the law”.
The White House said some material was found in a garage at Biden’s home and an adjacent room. It pledged to cooperate with the probe.
“We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the president and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake,” White House lawyer Richard Sauber said in a statement.