(RightWing.org) – Since 2017, Republicans have expressed dismay at the FBI’s treatment of former President Donald Trump. In the early years of his administration, he had to fight off false allegations and federal investigations of Russian collusion during the 2016 presidential campaign. In 2020, US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe admitted to Congress the federal investigations were conducted under false pretenses. They said had they known, they wouldn’t have authorized the probes.
Now, there are new questions surrounding how the FBI handled Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified document raid in August 2022 and President Joe Biden’s recent classified record revelations. On Monday, January 16, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) wondered why the two cases were treated very differently. The Kentucky congressman asked why Trump’s home was raided, but Biden’s was not.
Comer Wants Equal Treatment by the FBI
The powerful House Oversight Committee Chairman told Sean Huffy, who was sitting in for Fox News Host Laura Ingraham, how many questions needed answers when comparing how the FBI treated Trump versus Biden. In calling for equal treatment, Comer asked questions highlighting the contrasts.
- Why was Mara-Lago raided?
- Why did federal law enforcement dig through every room in Trump’s house, including his son’s room and wife’s closet?
- Why did officials remove and take surveillance cameras from the residency?
Yet, Comer added, the FBI hasn’t set foot in the Biden Center for Diplomacy or the president’s Delaware residence. Classified documents were found in both locations from his time as vice president. The chairman said he wanted to know why Biden’s personal attorneys were going through the classified materials but didn’t have security clearances.
Comer said the contrast revealed a “two-tier system of justice” and stated it was one of the reasons Republicans were outraged over what had transpired.
What’s Different Between the Two Cases?
There are some key differences between the two cases. In Trump’s situation, he had been negotiating with the National Archives to return documents that ended up at the former president’s estate after he left the White House in 2021. There were numerous legal filings back and forth about ownership of the materials under the Presidential Records Act. Trump stated he had declassified those in his care as president of the United States (POTUS).
In Biden’s case, there is ambiguity as to whether a vice president can declassify anything. A 2002 executive order by then-President George W. Bush allowed a vice president to declassify documents they classified, but not beyond that scope.
Additionally, the National Archives knew Trump had records. Still, it was unaware Biden had them in violation of the Presidential Records Act. It only found out after his lawyers found the initial batch of documents in a closet in the Biden Center. Later, White House lawyers found more in a garage in his home.
Now, both presidents are under investigation by special counsels after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed them to conduct an independent review of potential criminal charges.
Still, some wonder why the FBI isn’t looking for more records in Biden’s residences.
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