A second batch of classified documents were discovered in the possession of President Joe Biden, prompting US Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel to take over the investigation..The documents were discovered inside the garage of Biden’s home in Wilmington, DE. The first documents were discovered in November in The Penn Biden Center, an office used by Biden..Biden’s White House counsel’s office said in a statement Biden’s aides located documents with classified markings at two locations inside his home: a storage area in the garage and an adjacent room. Biden spends most of his weekends at the home, located in a wealthy, wooded enclave on a lake..Speaking Thursday, Biden said the documents were in a “locked garage” and that he was cooperating fully with the Department of Justice..“Classified materials next to your Corvette in the garage? What were you thinking?” Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Biden..“My Corvette is in a locked garage, OK? So it’s not like they’re sitting out on the street,” Biden replied, seeming to brush off the significance of the discovery. “But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously.”.As does Garland.."Earlier today, I signed an order appointing Robert Hur a special counsel for the matter I have just described," Garland said Thursday after describing the located documents.."The document authorizes him to investigate whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter. The special counsel will not be subject to the day-to-day supervision of any official of the department, but he must comply with the regulations, procedures and policies of the department.".The special counsel announcement kicks the existing inquiry into the first documents discovered into an entirely new arena, increasing the potential legal exposure for Biden and his aides and lawyers who handled sensitive government materials from his time as vice president. .By bringing on a special counsel, Garland is insulating himself from the politically sensitive case, though he’ll still get the final say on whether to bring any charges. When that decision comes, no matter the outcome, it will surely become a major flashpoint in the 2024 presidential race..Several key questions remain unanswered, one of the most important being who brought the documents to Biden’s private homes as well as what specifically was contained in them..By law, all outgoing presidential and vice-presidential documents must be sent to the National Archives for review. .In addition to the Presidential Records Act, under federal law officials who permit the removal of classified information from its rightful place through “gross negligence” can be imprisoned for up to 10 years..Thursday’s revelation has pundits comparing it to the raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and residence in Palm Beach, Fla., in an effort to retrieve classified documents..Biden at the time unleashed on his predecessor, telling 60 Minutes on Sept. 18, that Trump had been “irresponsible” in holding on to the papers after leaving office in January 2021.”.“I thought, ‘What data was in there that may compromise sources and methods?'” Biden told CBS News’ Scott Pelley. “It was just totally irresponsible.”
