GOP Lawmakers Decry Double Standards Over Biden Classified Documents

In the wake of revelations this Week that ahref=”https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-classified-documents”>classified Documents In November, the Biden Penn Center was able to discover documents from the Obama-Biden government.

These remarks were made ahead of an announcement on January 12 that more classified documents had been since obtained Discovered in the garage of one of Biden’s homes in Deleware. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Attorney General of America, stated that he had been arrested on the same day. Nominated former Trump-appointed Justice Department official Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of classified materials.

Many have sought to distinguish the revelations this week from the government’s actions against former President Donald Trump, whose Florida home was raided by the FBI last summer during which classified documents were discovered, and who is currently investigated by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Republican figures insist that the same treatment should be applied in both cases.

“Where is the FBI raid on the Joe Biden crime family after the revelations that he stole classified materials while serving as Vice President and stored these documents at Biden’s ‘think tank’ that has received over $50 million in Chinese gifts?” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R.N.Y.), is a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. She spoke to The Epoch Times on January 11.

Based on public records, the University of Pennsylvania, which is home to the Biden Penn Center has received $54.6 million from China between 2014 and 2019. According According to the New York Post. The Center denies that it’s received any donations from China.

Differential Treatment

According to an ex-GOP congressman, the difference in treatment for Trump and Biden cases is due to party affiliation.

“The principle difference is that one is a Republican and the other is a Democrat,” Former Rep. Mo Brooks (R.Ala.), told the Epoch Times.

“The government is predominantly Democrat, not just at the elected official level, but at the bureaucratic level,” Brooks added.

“I absolutely believe that there is a bias in our investigative agencies and judicial system against Republicans. How bad the disparity is, is open to debate.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., agreed and stated that conservatives face punishment for actions that are mostly ignored by a government that is dominated ideologically liberals.

“We have a big problem with the National Archives and Records,” The Epoch Times quoted Greene.

The congresswoman stated that the National Archives and Records Administration, which handles documents generated by the president’s office and vice president’s offices, has two standards. One that favors Biden and another that punishes Trump.

“This is an organization that we will be investigating, through the House Oversight Committee as to their handling of these documents. And we’re also going to be questioning the Department of Justice and the FBI into why the hypocrisy and why the difference because it’s absolutely unfair,” Greene said.

While the White House stated that it was cooperating with NARA/the Department of Justice in this matter, Biden disagreed. He was earlier in the week “surprised to learn” of the documents found at Biden Penn Center but did not know the contents.

VP Can’t Declassify

Greene also contended that there is an even bigger distinction in the case of Biden’s classified documents.

“The difference is this: Joe Biden was vice president of the United States when he took classified documents. That means he stole classified documents because the vice president is not allowed to declassify anything. And he has no right to take classified documents,” She spoke.

“It’s completely different for the president of the United States,” Greene also stated that anyone can declassify documents anytime for any reason.

Trump claims that he had declassified documents at his home before he left office.

But Brooks, who previously worked as a defense attorney and a district attorney said that while he agrees that there is bias in how the government treats these cases between the GOP and Democrats, he’s seen no evidence that Trump used established processes to declassify documents found in his possession.

“I don’t give much weight to that distinction,” Brooks. “Because today, there has not been any evidence produced that Donald Trump, in fact, did the things that you’re supposed to do to declassify documents.”

A former intelligence officer who has worked on security issues in Europe and the Middle East said while it’s an open question whether Trump followed the process to declassify documents in his possession, no such allowance can be made for Biden.

“A former vice president has no authority to remove classified documents from a secure facility, even for the purpose of using it as background references for writing a book,” The Epoch Times spoke with Del Wilber about his time in Eastern Europe and Iraq as a counterintelligence advisor.

“If it were necessary for a former vice president to review classified documents they would have to submit a formal request to review those documents with the authority maintaining control, and then go to a secure facility to view them,” Wilber said, adding said that on the face of the case, Biden didn’t do that.

The Epoch Times reached out to NARA, the White House and Department of Justice for comments.

John Ransom is a freelance journalist covering U.S. news at The Epoch Times, with offices in Washington D.C. and Asia.