According to two sources who spoke to CBS News, US Attorney General Merrick Garland tasked the US attorney in Chicago with reviewing classified documents discovered at a think tank.
The documents were discovered in a locked closet at Washington, D.C.’s Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.
According to CBS News, the FBI was also involved in the investigation of the documents, which numbered around ten.
The president’s special counsel, Richard Sauber, confirmed that the documents were discovered on Nov. 2, just before the midterm elections, and reported to the National Archives.
“The president’s attorneys discovered these documents,” Sauber explained. “The Archives had not previously requested or inquired about the documents. Since that discovery, the president’s personal attorneys have worked with the Archives and the Department of Justice to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are properly in the Archives’ possession.”
According to CBS News, the National Archives notified the Department of Justice about the incident.
After the preliminary investigation is completed by the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Garland may appoint a special prosecutor to the case.
The turn of events will severely undermine Democratic efforts to criticize and excoriate former President Donald Trump over the numerous classified documents seized from his Palm Beach, Florida, residence, Mar-a-Lago.
Trump first acknowledged the raid on his home in an August 2022 tweet in which he accused the Biden administration of illegally ordering the action for political reasons. He has since claimed that as president, he has the authority to declassify any document, but his attorneys have not made that claim in court.
In the most recent development concerning the Mar-a-Lago documents, a federal judge denied the Department of Justice’s request to hold Trump in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena.
