Who could have seen this coming?
The Washington Post reports that the Biden Justice Department does not plan to pursue criminal charges against President Biden for his mishandling of classified documents.
The DoJ is reportedly preparing to release a special counsel report in coming days that will be critical of President Biden and his aides for mishandling classified documents in Biden's private home and former office and this WaPo report appears to be the mainstream media foaming the runway as this report crash-lands at the feet of a Republican Congress. WaPo writes:
"While the facts of the Biden case appear to have major differences from the Trump case, Hur's conclusions are likely to face intense scrutiny from Republicans in Congress."
The lack of charges was initially leaked in November, and prompted outrage:
They’re trying to throw Trump in prison over classified documents that he DID have the authority to declassify but Biden won’t even get a slap on wrist for mishandling + keeping classified docs he kept as a VP/Senator when he wasn’t able to declassify them. Political prosecution! https://t.co/8UElp4aGx0
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) November 16, 2023
Joe Biden's DOJ investigated Joe Biden and found that Joe Biden had done nothing wrong by taking classified material and storing it in his office and garage floor. https://t.co/6VsDxDw3gO
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) November 16, 2023
And so, with the actual report's imminent release, WaPo felt the need to spend a few thousand more words to provide talking points to the base on why it's different for Biden... except they really didn't - aside from to claim that Trump 'intentionally misled or delayed' his response on the classified docs (that as president he was allowed to declassify), while they appear to claim - by explaining each of the various locations where Biden's classified documents were discovered, that is was merely a mistake by a bumbling old fart and his aides
About 10 documents from Biden's time as vice president were found Nov. 2, 2022, when lawyers for Biden were cleaning out his private office at the Washington-based Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, a think tank Biden started with the University of Pennsylvania after his tenure as vice president.
The attorney, Pat Moore, found the documents in a small closet and called White House lawyers, who contacted the National Archives and Records Administration, the federal agency responsible for storing and preserving presidential records.
...
In December 2022, legal representatives for Biden searched his home in Wilmington, Del., and found a "small number" of records with classified markings in the garage, the White House has said.
Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., also was searched, but no classified material was found there, the White House has said.
In January, lawyers found another potential record with classified markings at the Wilmington residence, in a room adjacent to the garage.
Biden's personal attorneys arranged for the Justice Department to take possession of the material.
Biden aides, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation, have said they believe the documents unintentionally ended up at Biden's home and office because of sloppy staff work.
Later in the WaPo report, the cover is provided very transparently: "the Trump investigation seems significantly different from the Biden investigation.
"...more importantly, federal prosecutors came to suspect Trump was deliberately misleading them and hiding some highly sensitive papers even after he received a grand jury subpoena demanding their return.
Showing willful intent to mishandle national security secrets is often a key factor in charging decisions involving classified papers...
Trump is accused of deliberately trying to mislead investigators as they demanded the government documents back.
He is scheduled to stand trial on those charges in Fort Pierce, Fla., in May,..."
Finally, we are reminded of Trump Special Counsel Jack Smith's comments in his press conference announcing the criminal charges against Trump last year:
“We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone….Nothing more, nothing less.”
Indeed.
