Mint Explainer: How Biden documents scandal will rock American politics
3 min read . Updated: 16 Jan 2023, 12:59 PM IST
Premium- The scandal has breathed fresh life into the scattered opposition Republican Party.
President Joe Biden’s administration has been rocked by scandal. Revelations that Biden held classified documents in his personal possession even after leaving office as vice-president in 2017 have raised serious questions about ethics and potential threats to national security. Mint breaks down the scandal:
The scandal broke when the American media reported that President Biden’s lawyers had discovered classified documents dating back to Biden’s time as vice-president in his personal possession. Although Biden should have turned the documents in to the relevant authorities after demitting office as vice-president in 2017, the documents stayed in his personal possession.
The discovery was made in November 2022 when Biden’s lawyers were clearing out an office used by Biden at a Washington DC think-tank before he became President. The documents were voluntarily turned over to the National Archives by his lawyers.
However, a second set of classified documents were found stored in the garage of the President’s home in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware. The exact contents of the classified documents discovered, which are said to be limited in number, have not been disclosed.
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The scandal is damaging for several reasons. First, Biden has been accused of hypocrisy, given that he had earlier criticised former president Donald Trump for holding onto classified documents after leaving the presidency. When Biden’s own missteps were revealed, his opponents were quick to point to the president’s double standards.
The scandal is also damaging as it has breathed fresh life into the previously scattered opposition Republican Party. After a disappointing performance in the November midterm elections and an embarrassingly long battle to elect a leader in the House of Representatives, America’s conservatives seemed hopelessly divided. Biden’s scandal has allowed conservatives to unite behind a common cause.
While Biden may have hoped to benefit politically from the decline in inflation in the United States and an approval rating that has trended steadily upwards in recent months, this latest scandal has derailed his administration’s narrative.
Attorney-General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel, Robert Hur, to look into the President’s handling of the documents. This could mean months of focus on the counsel’s investigation and testimony by members of Biden’s administration and close circle.
While the exact legal consequences the President may face are not exactly clear, his case is helped by the fact that his team voluntarily turned over documents to the relevant authorities. This is in stark contrast to former president Trump, who refused to hand over hundreds of classified documents even when specifically requested to do so.
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