(Headline USA) Attorney General Merrick Garland claimed this week that the Justice Department has not treated President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents any differently than former President Donald Trump’s.
Speaking to reporters, Garland rejected the allegation that the DOJ is operating under two different standards: one for Biden, and one for Trump.
“The role of the Justice Department is to apply the facts and the law in each case and reach appropriate decisions in a nonpartisan and neutral way without regard to who the subjects are,” Garland said.
The AG who was instrumental in launching the militarized FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home continued to claim the soft-touch approach given Biden’s case was no different.
“That is what we’ve done in each of these cases, and that is what we’ll continue to do. We do not have different rules for Democrats or Republicans, different rules for the powerful or the powerless, different rules for the rich or for the poor,” he added.
Garland has appointed special counsels to investigate both Biden and Trump. However, Republicans have been quick to point out discrepancies in the DOJ’s handling of each case.
Trump, for example, was subjected to an FBI raid, whereas Garland refused to order FBI agents to supervise the search of Biden’s home. Moreover, the special counsel assigned to Biden’s case, Robert Hur, has been tasked only with investigating Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, whereas Trump’s special counsel, Jack Smith, has been told to investigate a wide number of potential infractions, including obstruction of justice.
“Biden knew for years that he’s been storing highly classified documents in his personal office,” said Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas. “He knew it when FBI agents were raiding Mar-a-Lago, and he knew it when he appointed a partisan special counsel. He knew the whole time but still had his DOJ goons persecute Trump.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., agreed.
“Joe Biden took classified documents from the White House when he was Vice President,” she said. “The VP does not have the power to declassify, only POTUS. Joe Biden stole classified documents. This is a very serious crime. DOJ [and] NARA can’t sweep this under the rug and persecute Trump.”
