- Good afternoon.
I'm here today to announce the appointment of Robert Hur
as a special counsel pursuant to Department of Justice
relations governing such matters.
In keeping with those regulations,
I've today notified the designated members
of each house of Congress of the appointment.
I'm joined today by John Lausch.
the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois,
who conducted the initial investigation
into the matter that I will describe today.
On the evening of November 4th, 2022,
the National Archives' Office of Inspector General
contacted a prosecutor at the Department of Justice.
It informed him that the White House
had notified the Archives that documents bearing
classification markings were identified at the office
of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy
and Global Engagement located in Washington, DC.
That office was not authorized
for storage of classified documents.
The prosecutor was also advised
that those documents had been secured in an Archives facility.
On November 9th, the FBI commenced an assessment
consistent with standard protocols to understand
whether classified information has been mishandled
in violation of federal law.
On November 14th, pursuant to Section 600.
2(B) of the special counsel regulations,
I assigned US Attorney Lausch
to conduct an initial investigation
to inform my decision whether to appoint a special counsel.
Mr. Lausch
has served as a US Attorney in Chicago since 2017.
Before that, he spent more than a decade
as an assistant US Attorney in that same office.
I selected him to conduct the initial investigation
because I was confident his experience would ensure
that it would be done professional and expeditiously.
On December 20th,
President Biden's personal counsel
informed Mr. Lausch
that additional documents bearing classification markings
were identified in the garage
of the president's private residence
in Wilmington, Delaware.
President Biden's counsel informed Mr.
Lausch that those documents were among other records
from the period of the president's service
as vice president.
The FBI went to the location and secured those documents.
On January 5th, 2023, Mr. Lausch
briefed me on the results of his initial investigation
and advised me that further investigation
by a special counsel was warranted.
Based on Mr. Lausch's initial investigation,
I concluded that under the special counsel regulations,
it was in the public interest to appoint a special counsel.
In the days since, while Mr.
Lausch continued the investigation,
the department identified Mr.
Hur for appointment as special counsel.
This morning, President Biden's personal counsel called Mr.
Lausch and stated that an additional document
bearing classification markings
was identified at the president's personal residence
in Wilmington, Delaware.
When I first contacted Mr.
Lausch about this matter,
he said he could lead the initial investigation,
but would be unable to accept any longer-term assignment
because he would be leaving the department
in early 2023 for the private sector.
US Attorney Lausch and his team of prosecutors and agents
have conducted this initial investigation
with professionalism and speed.
I am grateful to them.
Earlier today, I signed an order appointing Robert Hur
as special counsel for the matter I have just described.
The document authorizes him to investigate
whether any person or entity violated the law
in connection with this matter.
The special counsel will not be subject
to the day-to-day supervision
of any official of the department,
but he must comply with the regulations, procedures,
and policies of the department.
Mr. Hur has a long
and distinguished career as a prosecutor.
In 2003, he joined the department's criminal division,
where he worked on counter-terrorism,
corporate fraud, and appellate matters.
From 2007 until 2014, Mr. Hur
served as an assistant US Attorney
for the District of Maryland, where he prosecuted matters
ranging from violent crime to financial fraud.
In 2017, Mr. Hur
re-joined the department
as the principle associate deputy attorney general.
In 2018, he was nominated and confirmed
to serve as the US Attorney for the District of Maryland.
As US Attorney, he supervised some of the department's
more important national security, public corruption,
and other high-profile matters.
I will ensure that Mr. Hur
receives all the resources he needs to conduct his work.
As I have said before, I strongly believe
that the normal processes of this department
can handle all investigations with integrity,
but under the regulations,
the extraordinary circumstances here
require the appointment of a special counsel for this matter.
This appointment underscores
for the public the department's commitment
to both independence and accountability
in particularly sensitive matters,
and to making decisions indisputably guided
only by the facts and the law.
I am confident that Mr. Hur
will carry out his responsibility
in an even-handed and urgent manner,
and in accordance with the highest traditions
of this department.
Thank you all.
- Have you ever spoken to the president
about this investigation, sir?