Jim Jordan launches investigation into Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents

Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan has launched his first investigation as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which will look into President Joe Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents, Fox News reports.

The announcement comes after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the matter.

"We are conducting oversight of the Justice Department’s actions with respect to former Vice President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, including the apparently unauthorized possession of classified material at a Washington, D.C., private office and in the garage of his Wilmington, Delaware, residence," Jordan and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in a letter sent Friday to Garland.

"On January 12, 2023, you appointed Robert Hur as Special Counsel to investigate these matters," they wrote. "The circumstances of this appointment raise fundamental oversight questions that the Committee routinely examines. We expect your complete cooperation with our inquiry."

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Jordan wants to know if the Department of Justice took part in covering up the discovery of the documents, which are from Biden's days as vice president, until after 2022 midterm elections. The White House admitted that the first batch of documents at the Penn Biden Center were discovered days before the midterms, but were not made public until this month.

"It is unclear when the Department first came to learn about the existence of these documents, and whether it actively concealed this information from the public on the eve of the 2022 elections," Jordan wrote. "It is also unclear what interactions, if any, the Department had with President Biden or his representatives about his mishandling of classified material. The Department’s actions here appear to depart from how it acted in similar circumstances."

The letter mentions the FBI's raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort last summer where they seized classified documents, and claims it's an example of how the DOJ has treated Biden and Trump differently.

"In fact, on August 8, 2022, despite the publicly available evidence of President Trump’s voluntary cooperation, you personally approved the decision to seek a warrant for excessive and unprecedented access to his private residence. On August 15, 2022, Committee Republicans wrote to you and FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting documents and information related to the FBI’s raid of President Trump’s residence," the letter said.