Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have brought to light a glaring omission in the investigation into Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. The senators, known for their meticulous oversight work, revealed on Monday that Special Counsel Robert Hur overlooked nine boxes of potentially classified boxes in his report last week on Biden’s document fiasco.
The senators’ investigation, which has spanned multiple years, has been a thorn in the side of the Biden administration, persistently questioning the handling and security of classified and unclassified documents from Biden’s tenure as vice president. Their latest findings, detailed in a letter to Hur, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Attorney General Merrick Garland, demand an explanation for the exclusion of these nine boxes retrieved by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) from the Boston office of Patrick Moore, one of Biden’s personal attorneys, from Hur’s final report.
🚨@ChuckGrassley and @RonJohnsonWI:
Biden Justice Department won't publicly account for 9 boxes retrieved from Bidenhttps://t.co/c7pI2F3BHn
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) February 12, 2024
Hur’s failure to investigate the findings of Senate Republicans raises serious questions about the thoroughness of his report. In declining to charge Biden with any crimes, Hur described him as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” directly relying on his cognitive decline and diminished capacity as the primary factor in deciding not to pursue charges.
Hur’s report highlighted Biden’s “significant limitations” in memory, including confusion over critical dates and events, contributing to a decline in his approval ratings following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Yet, just hours after the report’s release, Biden held a press conference where he made several confusing statements, including mixing up the presidents of Mexico and Egypt.
Grassley and Johnson’s demands for transparency and accountability are not without merit. The senators have set a February 23 deadline for the Department of Justice and the FBI to provide a detailed account of why the records retrieved by NARA were omitted from Hur’s report. Their insistence on a full explanation is a testament to their commitment to oversight and the rule of law. These principles seem to be increasingly under threat in a polarized political landscape.
