The National Archives has been comparatively silent regarding the classified document scandal surrounding Biden, in contrast to their response to Trump’s scandal.
The agency established a section on its website, “Press Statements in Response to Media Queries About Presidential Records”, in early 2022, which featured multiple press releases about the Trump Mar-a-Lago documents.
Despite being aware of Biden’s scandal for months, the National Archives has not released any official statements on the matter.
However, the reason behind the National Archives’ silence might not be because of their intention to keep the information confidential. Instead, it has been revealed by the archives’ general counsel that they were prevented from releasing crucial information.
On Tuesday, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the newly appointed chairman of the House Oversight Committee, held a transcribed interview with National Archives General Counsel Gary Stern.
During the interview, Stern revealed that he was prevented from issuing public statements regarding the Biden classified document controversy.
Comer suggested that only the Justice Department or the White House could have imposed this block on the National Archives.
“Right before the National Archives came in, they handed us a letter from the Department of Justice informing them and us that the general counsel for the National Archives wasn’t allowed to say anything about the Biden documents,” Comer reported on Fox News. “But we went ahead, and we had about a three-plus hour transcribed interview with the general counsel, and what we learned was that there is a double standard here with how Donald Trump was treated versus Joe Biden.”
Comer pointed out that one example of the bias was the disproportionate number of press releases about Mar-a-Lago compared to the absence of press releases about Biden’s classified documents on the National Archives website.
“So we asked the general counsel — why were there no press releases sent on Joe Biden once it was determined that he had classified documents in his possession?” Comer said. “And the general counsel said that he did do press releases, but he was ordered and told they couldn’t be published. So we did ask who gave him the orders, and he said, ‘I can’t tell you that.’ But there are only two people who could have given him those orders, and that is either the Department of Justice with Merrick Garland or the White House with Joe Biden.”
Comer reported that Stern testified to having drafted responses to GOP inquiries regarding classified Biden documents.
However, the general counsel was prohibited from releasing this information.
Comer further stated that the reason for this restriction could only be attributed to the Department of Justice or the White House.
The recent scandal highlights the decline of the U.S. justice system. The revelation that the authorities have the power to silence watchdog organizations tasked with keeping the presidency accountable reveals the widespread corruption that has infiltrated the highest levels of our leadership.
