Amna: Another batch of
classified documents from
president Biden's time as vice
president were found inside his
Delaware home, the white house
said today.
This came after the disclosure
earlier this week of documents
found inside a Washington
office.
Today, attorney general Merrick
Garland announced the
appointment of a special counsel
to determine whether anyone
broke the law.
>> The extraordinary
circumstances here require the
appointment of a special counsel
for this matter.
This appointment underscores for
the public the department's
commitment both to Independence
and accountability in
particularly sensitive matters,
and to making decisions
indisputably guided only by the
facts and the law.
Amna: For his part, the
president and his team believe
the documents were simply
misplaced and pledged to aid the
investigation.
>> People know I take classified
documents, classified materials
seriously.
I also said we're cooperating
fully and completely with the
justice department's review.
The department of justice was
immediately notified.
And the lawyers arranged for the
department of justice to take
possession of the documents.
Amna: Our white house
correspondent Laura barron-lopez
is here to explain the new phase
of this investigation.
Good to see you.
Let's take a step back and
review the timeline and see how
we got here.
What exactly was found in Mr.
Biden's position and when?
Laura: Attorney general Merrick
Garland gave us a whole timeline
today.
November 4, 2022, archives
notified doj about documents
found at Penn Biden center
office.
November 9, 2022, FBI began
their assessment.
November 14, ag Merrick Garland
assigned the U.S. Attorney
general to investigate.
Biden's lawyer notified of
additional documents at his
Delaware home.
January 5 of this year, he
advised that there.
Should be appointment a special
counsel.
Today, January 12, an additional
document was found at president
Biden's Delaware home and the
notified the authorities.
So that is essentially the full
timeline that we have so far
around all of these classified
documents.
Geoff: Attorney general Merrick
Garland has appointed that
special counsel to look into
this.
Tell us about who that is and
what happens now.
Laura: Attorney general Merrick
Garland appointed a former U.S.
Attorney from Maryland and he
was appointed by former
president trump in 2017.
Garland said today he has
supervised a number of matters
related to public security and
other high-profile issues.
One key thing is I spoke to a
former doj official and that
person as well as other experts
have said this could very well
be a faster investigation.
Even though there are still
elements we do not know.
Because of the fact it appears
more straightforward given the
timeline of how the Biden team
and lawyers return the
documents.
One of the things that will
potentially happen which has not
been announced yet is the damage
assessment from the director of
national intelligence.
Which is a common think that
happens in cases where
classified document are found
where they are not supposed to
be found.
Amna: So there is a special
counsel looking into former
president trump's handling of
classified documents at
mar-a-lago.
What is the difference between
this probe?
Laura: We have a number of
differences here.
With president Biden it was so
far a small number of less if I
documents with former president
trump they found around 300.
For president Biden it was found
in his D.C. Office and Delaware
home.
Trump, it was found in his
mar-a-lago, Florida state.
President Biden, it was turned
over immediately and
voluntarily.
This is a key difference.
As we all know, for president
trump it was seized by FBI
authorities after it was
withheld for more than a year.
When you talk to illegal experts
and former doj officials they
say that criminal difference,
the potential for criminal
charges is different.
Former president trump right now
is being investigated for
potentially violating the
espionage act for the removal
and destruction of records.
Especially for the obstruction
of justice.
- Also today house Republicans
have been saying they are going
to investigate president Biden's
handling of classified documents
alongside this investigation.
Amna: Laura barron-lopez