Milwaukee City Wire

U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley have raised concerns about a "significant factual omission" in the Special Counsel's report on President Biden's handling of classified records. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Special Counsel Robert Hur, the senators called for an explanation regarding the omission.

The senators pointed out that in March 2023, they revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had tasked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) with retrieving nine boxes of Biden records from the office of Patrick Moore, one of Biden's personal counsels. NARA confirmed that it had moved the boxes to its facility in Boston on November 9, 2022. However, the Special Counsel's report did not mention this retrieval.

The senators highlighted the importance of this omission, stating, "[o]ddly, Special Counsel Hur’s report did not mention NARA’s retrieval of the nine boxes from Mr. Moore’s office. This apparent omission is significant given that, according to NARA, the Department of Justice requested that NARA recover the boxes." They also noted that NARA had informed their offices that while it had not reviewed the contents of the boxes, the FBI had.

The senators expressed concern about whether the FBI reviewed the contents of the boxes, whether any classified information was found, and whether the Special Counsel's office was informed of the FBI's findings. They stressed that it would be troubling if Special Counsel Hur failed to investigate the contents of the boxes, especially considering that the existence of these specific boxes was publicly revealed by the senators almost a year ago.

To address these concerns, the senators have given the DOJ, FBI, and Special Counsel Hur's office until February 23, 2024, to explain whether the Special Counsel's office reviewed the nine boxes of Biden records and whether any classified material was found.

This letter follows the senators' ongoing oversight into Joe Biden's use of pseudonyms and personal email addresses for official government business and his compliance with federal record-keeping standards, including the handling of classified documents.

The senators have previously sent multiple oversight letters on this issue to various individuals and organizations, including the White House Counsel, White House Special Counsel, Acting Archivist of NARA, Director of the Secret Service, and Archivist of NARA. These letters and the responses received have been part of the senators' efforts to ensure transparency and accountability.

The full text of the letter can be found on The Federalist website.

It is now up to the DOJ, FBI, and Special Counsel Hur's office to provide a satisfactory explanation for the omission in the report and address the senators' concerns regarding the review of the nine boxes of Biden records.