"Democrats get 'searched.' Republicans get raided." Republican congressman Scott Perry's tweet perfectly captures the sentiment of many conservative politicians and supporters regarding the Justice Department's different way of handling the classified documents found in Joe Biden's possession compared to what happened with former President Donald Trump. The situation has even made Democratic supporters and politicians recognize that there is no reason to treat the current president and former president so differently.
Democrats get “searched.” Republicans get raided.
— RepScottPerry (@RepScottPerry) January 22, 2023
While Trump was publically scolded, which millions of people witnessed through the media during the FBI's search of his Mar-a-Lago home, federal agents entered Biden's Wilmington residence only after the DOJ came to an agreement with Biden's personal lawyers. Of course, one of the points agreed upon was that the "search" for classified documents would be conducted discreetly and without informing the media, at least until the investigations had been completed. And so it was.
Secret agreement
In fact, the FBI has not been involved in any of the document searches so far and four different batches have already turned up. Until now, thanks to a secret agreement between the DOJ and the president's lawyers, Biden's legal team was put in charge of analyzing the papers hidden on the president's properties and was told to hand over the documents they considered appropriate to the authorities. The White House said the search was "complete" six different times on January 12.
The differences have been noticeable from the very beginning. Trump said that he experienced "an unannounced raid" on Aug. 8, with at least 30 FBI agents entering his home while the media waited at the door. Meanwhile, the White House and DOJ concealed the appearance of classified material in Biden's private office at the University of Pennsylvania and in the garage of a home he owns in Wilmington for two months. Furthermore, the first batch was found on November 2, a week before the midterms, and did not go public until January.
Democratic senators call for an investigation
The DOJ, the White House, and Biden himself try to explain that the difference in treatment comes down to the current president's "full collaboration," while Trump's lawyers tried to obstruct and even deceive the authorities. These explanations are met with criticism, even within the Democratic party. Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Joe Manchin have called for a thorough investigation into "extremely irresponsible and disturbing" events.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) support investigation of Biden's classified documents https://t.co/WTVZaquBUc
— Logan Ratick (@Logan_Ratick) January 21, 2023
"Inexcusable neglect"
In addition, John Fishwick, a former West Virginia District Attorney General during Obama's time as president, criticized the different treatment the two politicians are receiving. "He's the sitting president, there's no reason for him to hold anything back on that. It makes it harder to say they are apples and oranges, and undermines the argument that they were different."
Barack Obama's former Head of Ethics, Walter Shaub criticized in statements to FOX News the way Biden's entourage and the DOJ have handled the appearance of these documents. "The fact that the White House didn’t mention that records were found in more than one location when first asked about them was a breach of trust with the public and a self-inflicted wound," he said. What's worse, for Shaub, is that "Biden’s own retention of classified records reflects an inexcusable neglect of the most basic security protocols."
