“Swift Congressional Oversight”: Rep. Comer Pledges Action on Biden Secrecy Scandal

Hitting back hard against the Biden Administration over what he labeled as its “alarming” secrecy and foot-dragging regarding the situation of the classified documents from Biden’s time as Vice President was Rep. James Comer, who promised this week to launch a Congressional probe into those transactions.

Rep. Comer did so in a statement released by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on January 14th, saying:

“President Biden’s three strikes against transparency will be met with swift congressional oversight. The White House, the National Archives, and the Justice Department failed to promptly inform Congress and the American people about mishandled classified documents from Joe Biden’s time as vice president. We first learned about the Penn Biden Center classified documents months after they were found in an unsecure closet. Then it took the White House weeks to inform the public about the documents found in President Biden’s Wilmington garage. And now days later, we are learning that there are more documents at the Wilmington residence. Are there more classified documents to be found?

“The Biden White House’s secrecy in this matter is alarming. Equally alarming is the fact that Biden aides were combing through documents knowing there would be a Special Counsel appointed. Many questions need to be answered but one thing is certain: oversight is coming.”

And Rep. Comer and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability aren’t the only ones interested in investigating the newest Biden scandal. Rep. Mike Turner, the Republican who will soon be the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, also called for oversight of the Biden documents and what might have been revealed by Biden’s improper handling of classified information.

Writing to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines in a letter, Rep. Turner said:

“It has been reported that a portion of the materials at issue were marked ‘sensitive compartmented information,’ indicating the highest classification and most sensitive intelligence information in our government.”

Continuing, Rep. Turner then said “This discovery of classified information would put President Biden in potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act. Those entrusted with access to classified information have a duty and an obligation to protect it. This issue demands a full and thorough review.”

Connecting the current Biden documents scandal to the Trump documents and Mar-a-Lago raid and reminding readers how the DOJ dealt with Trump, Just the News reported that:

Rarely a source of public scrutiny or even attention, the National Archives has become mired in more than one scandal involving the handling of classified records by former administration officials. The agency previously asked the Department of Justice to investigate missing materials from the Trump administration.

That effort ultimately led to the Aug. 8, 2022, raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and an ongoing legal battle which the DOJ has appointed a special counsel to handle. Attorney General Merrick Garland has not appointed a special counsel to address the Biden matter.

So now NARA and the DOJ have set the precedent of turning document disputes into political circuses, and it looks like the GOP is more than ready to play that game and use the situation to skewer Slow Joe. Good for them for recognizing how the game has changed.