Amidst falling approval ratings and a particularly fragile point in his presidency, Joe Biden’s burden has become particularly heavy in light of events of the past week.
First, the Biden administration is facing an extreme amount of pressure to get right the response to the brutal and devastating attacks perpetrated on Israel by Hamas over the weekend. It can be argued that Biden’s foreign policy positions have been some of the weakest in American history and have even contributed to Iran’s aggression against their nemesis.
Joe Biden’s Bad Day
As if that’s not bad enough, Biden was interviewed as part of the investigation into his handling of classified documents being led by special counsel Robert Hur, the White House said.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appointed Mr. Hur, a former Trump-era U.S. attorney for Maryland, as a special counsel — a prosecutor with a degree of day-to-day autonomy to handle sensitive investigations — to investigate the matter.
In a statement Monday night, White House spokesman Ian Sams said the voluntary interview was conducted over two days, Sunday and Monday.
“As we have said from the beginning, the President and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation,” Sams said.
The investigation began after Biden’s lawyers found classified documents in multiple areas in his Delaware residence and in an office in Washington, D.C. The material was reportedly tied to his time as senator and vice president.
Donald Trump, Trend Setter
Retaining classified documents seems to be the charge du jour these days, an accusation at the ready for anyone seeking to take down a political adversary.
The trend began, as many do, with the prosecution of Donald Trump for the mishandling of classified documents he took to his Florida club and residence, Mar-a-Lago, and his refusal to give them all back even after being subpoenaed.
Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith has acted like a dog on a bone when it comes to the federal indictment of Trump, one of four, aimed to take the former president down, a move Trump has denounced more than once as “election interference.”
Smith is also responsible for bringing charges against Trump for his involvement in the January 6 uprising at the Capitol, charging him with conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results.
GOP candidate Mike Pence was also investigated under the same charge, but ultimately the case was closed by the DOJ having found no wrongdoing on the part of the former Vice President.
Biden vs. Trump Classified Documents Case
One glaring difference between the Biden and Trump classified documents case is the amount of attention each has received. For months, we’ve been bombarded by reports outlining every detail of Trump’s case including alleged co-conspirators, the contents of the documents, and photos of boxes lined up in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago.
Conversely, there’s been barely a peep leaked regarding Biden’s investigation until today, upon the assumed end of the investigation.
The New York Times writes, “Mr. Hur’s investigation has proceeded relatively quietly. Unlike in Mr. Trump’s case, there have been no known fights before a grand jury over claims of executive privilege and other matters that led to numerous disclosures about recalcitrant witnesses receiving subpoenas — frictions that increased chatter that in turn helped give the public more glimpses of that investigation’s progress.”
The Biden camp has positioned themselves as willing accomplices in the investigative process, whereas Trump appears to fight his prosecution every step of the way.
Although, considering the pass that Biden gets in the mainstream media, is it really any wonder?
I’m not declaring Biden guilty or Trump innocent or vice versa. I’m simply pointing out, in case no one’s noticed, the blaring difference between the way the press treats the sitting president amidst mounds of fiascos, and a former president. Despite no longer being in a position of leadership, Donald Trump still commands attention merely to distract from the abject failures of the current leadership and prevent him from any opportunity to correct them.
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
