Analysis: Biden’s document scandal undermines efforts to hold Republicans accountable
President Joe Biden’s embarrassment over classified documents found in his former offices is spiraling into a major political crisis that threatens to undermine the case for Donald Trump to be charged for his own hoarding of secret material.
Thursday morning’s confirmation from the White House that more secret documents dating from Biden’s time as vice president were found in two locations at his Wilmington, Delaware, home immediately fueled Republican claims that Trump is being treated unfairly as he is investigated by a special counsel over classified information found at Mar-a-Lago.
A White House statement said documents were located in a storage area in Biden’s garage and an adjacent room. Biden frequently spends weekends at the home, located in a wealthy, wooded enclave on a lake. Speaking Thursday, the president said that the documents were in a “locked garage” and that he was cooperating fully with the Department of Justice.
While Trump’s retention of hundreds of documents and attempts to thwart their transfer to the National Archives as required by law appears more serious at this stage, Biden’s deepening troubles are offering a huge opening to the new pro-Trump House majority. The GOP is already moving to unleash an investigative machine designed to prove their long-held belief that Democrats have weaponized the federal government and intelligence agencies against conservatives – and to create the appearance of equivalence between Trump’s behavior as president and the actions of Biden and his circle.
Biden’s own sharp criticisms of Trump’s handling of secret intelligence are now coming back to haunt him and opening him up to charges of hypocrisy. While each case will be assessed according to its own legal merits, the possibility that Trump would face criminal action for conduct that will – for many voters – appear to broadly mirror Biden might make any prosecution politically unsustainable.
It would also play into Trump’s claims he is being targeted in order to derail his 2024 White House bid that started with a lackluster launch but could now be energized by the showdown over secret documents.
VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT VISIT
Komentar
Posting Komentar