Former United States Attorney discusses Biden’s documents
Jan. 18, 2023
Classified government documents of U.S. President Joe Biden were found at a private office he used to work in. The news fueled criticism from House Republicans, which prompted them to start their own investigation into the matter. Here to discuss what this means for the President is current partner at Denton’s Law Firm, Paul Charlton.
“A classified document, in particular, a top secrete document, is one in which the disclosure would present grave damage to our national security,” Charlton said. “If we disclose that document or if we hold that document in an unsecure area, we nation’s security at risk.”
These documents were found by Biden’s lawyers who reported the event to the National Achieves. This event occurred before the midterm elections, but was not disclosed until recently. The Department of Justice has appointed a special council to look into the matter.
The Department of Justice does not speak on ongoing investigations, however, the same constraints do not apply to the White House, according to Charlton. Legally, the White House could release a statement on the examination.
“It feels like the reason to not talk about this is more political than it is legal,” Charlton said.
A similar event happened to former President Trump when classified documents were found at his residence at Mar-A-Lago. Much more is know about what happened with Trump than the current situation with Biden.
“We know so very much about what happened with former President Trump because of a large volume of pleas that have taken place,” said Charlton. “On the Biden-side of the issue, we only know so very little because it’s what the White House is itself disclosing.”
“What he knows and what he doesn’t” will determine if Biden actions could be considered a crime or an unintentional mistake, according to Charlton.