Jim Jordan begins first investigation into Joe Biden's mishandling of classified documents

Jim Jordan begins first investigation into

Joe Biden's mishandling of classified documents

Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep.

Mike Johnson just launched the first investigation into President Joe Biden's growing secret documents scandal. They demanded documents and information about the scandal in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

They wrote:

• We are overseeing the actions of the Department of Justice in relation to

• former Vice President Biden's mistreatment of classified documents

• including apparently unauthorized possession of

• classified materials in a private office in Washington

D.C.

as well as in the garage of his Wilmington, Delaware, residence.

On 12 January 2023

• I appointed Robert Hoare as Special Counsel to investigate these matters.

• The circumstances surrounding this appointment raise serious issues with oversight.

• that the Commission routinely examines.

• Your complete cooperation with our investigation is expected.

Indeed, on August 8, 2022

• Despite evidence of President Trump's willing cooperation that is readily accessible

• I personally approved the decision to request an arrest warrant for

• excessive and unprecedented access to his private home.

The Republican Committee members wrote to you and FBI Director Christopher Wray on August 15, 2022, requesting records and details pertaining to the FBI raid on President Trump's home.

It is not clear when the Ministry first learned of the existence of these documents, and whether it concealed this information from the public on the eve of the 2022 elections.

It is also unclear what interactions, if any, the Administration has had with President Biden or his representatives about his mishandling of classified material.

The Ministry's actions here seem to

depart from the way it acted in similar circumstances.

The department and FBI have not complied with this request in a sufficient manner.They said that our requests were still pending.

Garland said:

I am here today to announce the appointment of Robert Hoare as Special Adviser

in accordance with DOJ regulations governing such matters.

In line with those regulations

I have today notified the appointed members of

each House of Congress of the appointment.

I am joined today by John Lauch

US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

who conducted the preliminary investigation into

the matter I will describe today.

• On the evening of 4 November 2022

• the Office of the Inspector General of

• the National Archives contacted a prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice.

He informed him that the White House had notified the archives that the hashtag documents had been identified in the office of the Ben Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Participation, located in Washington, D.C.

This office is not authorized to store confidential documents. The Prosecutor was also informed that these documents had been secured in the archives' annex.

On November 9

• the FBI began conducting an assessment

• consistent with standard protocols

• to understand whether classified information

• had been handled improperly and against the law.

On 14 November

in accordance with section 600.2 (b) of the Special Counsel's Regulations, U.S. Attorney Lash commissioned a preliminary investigation to inform my decision on the appointment of a Special Counsel.

Mr. Lash has served as the US Attorney in Chicago since 2017.

Prior to that, he had spent more than a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the same office. I chose him to conduct the preliminary investigation because I was confident that his experience would ensure that it was done professionally and quickly.

On 20 December

President Biden's personal lawyer informed Mr. Lauch that additional documents with hashtags had been identified in the garage of the president's private home in Wilmington, Delaware.

President Biden's lawyer informed Mr. 

Lauch that these documents were among other records from the president's tenure as Vice President. The FBI went to the site and obtained those documents.

On 5 January 2023

Mr. Lach briefed me on the results of

his preliminary investigation

and informed me that further investigation by the Special Adviser was warranted. Based on Mr. Lach's preliminary investigation, it concluded that, under the Special Adviser's regulations

The appointment of a Special Adviser was in the public's best interest.

In the days that followed, as Mr. Lach continued to investigate, the Department identified Mr. Hoare for appointment as Special Adviser.

This morning 

• President Biden's personal lawyer contacted Mr.

• Lauch and stated that an additional document with hashtags

• at the president's private residence in Wilmington, Delaware, had been identified.

When I first approached Mr.

Lauch on the matter

he said that he could lead the preliminary investigation but would not be able to accept any long-term task because he would leave the Department in early 2023 for the private sector. U.S.

Attorney Lash and his team of prosecutors and agents conducted this preliminary investigation with professionalism and speed. I am grateful to them.

Earlier today

I signed an order appointing Robert Hoare

as Special Adviser to the matter I just described.

The document [order] authorizes him to investigate whether any person or entity has violated the law in relation to this matter.

The Special Adviser will not be subject to daily supervision by any Department official, but must comply with the Department's regulations, procedures and policies.