Thread by @EpochTimes

President Biden said he was “surprised” when #ClassifiedDocuments were found in his former office and portrayed it as an honest mistake—but when another batch was found in his garage, pressure mounted to explain what is becoming a crisis of credibility. theepochtimes.com/timeline-of-bi…

The #ClassifiedDocuments case has sparked public interest and drawn legal scrutiny.

Republicans have alleged a two-tier justice system where former President Trump—who faces his own document probe—is seen as being treated more harshly. theepochtimes.com/absolutely-unf…

The @WhiteHouse is facing growing criticism for not disclosing the find of the Biden-linked #ClassifiedDocuments until 2 months after their discovery on Nov. 2—a week before the midterm election.

House Republicans are demanding answers, launching an investigation, and pointing…

…to a link between the address where the second batch of #ClassifiedDocuments were found and the president’s son, #HunterBiden, who’s under federal investigation for various financial and business dealings. theepochtimes.com/house-republic…

Below is a timeline of the disclosures and discoveries regarding the #BidenClassifiedDocuments and where things could go from here.

2017
Biden started working at the @PennBiden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement at the University of @Penn in February 2017, after leaving office as Vice President under the Obama administration.

There have been concerns about possible links between the @PennBiden Center and the #CCP regime.

The University of @Penn received over $54 million between 2014–2019 in anonymous donations from #China, according to @NYPost, citing public records. theepochtimes.com/documents-foun…

Nov. 2, 2022

Attorneys representing Biden found a “small number” of records with classified markings inside a locked closet at the @PennBiden think tank office—roughly 10 documents—and then notified the @USNatArchives of their discovery in short order.

Nov. 3
Biden’s lawyers transferred the documents to the @USNatArchives for secure storage one day after their discovery, Sauber said in a statement on Jan. 9, noting that the president’s attorneys were cooperating with the Archives and the #DOJ.

Nov. 4
The Office of the Inspector General at the @USNatArchives reached out to a prosecutor at the #DOJ to notify them of the discovered documents, according to a Jan. 12 statement by Garland.

“That office was not authorized for storage of classified documents,” Garland said.

Nov. 9
In line with standard procedures, the #FBI begins an assessment to determine whether any mishandling of #ClassifiedDocuments occurred in violation of federal laws, according to Garland’s Jan. 12 statement.

Nov. 14
Garland assigns John Lausch to conduct an investigation and decide if it’s necessary to appoint a special counsel to probe the circumstances around the handling of the sensitive materials.

Dec. 20
Biden’s personal attorneys notify Lausch that more documents with classification markings were discovered in the garage at the president’s Wilmington home.

The #FBI then went to Biden’s home to secure the documents, according to Garland’s Jan. 12 announcement.

Republicans said in a letter that they obtained documents showing that Biden’s Wilmington home address was listed on his son’s, #HunterBiden’s, driver’s license as recently as 2018, suggesting he could have had access to #ClassifiedDocuments.

Links between the tranche of documents and #HunterBiden are notable, as Republicans have long sought to investigate connections between the president and his son’s controversial business ventures in #China and #Ukraine.

Jan. 5, 2023
Lausch updates Garland with the findings of his preliminary inquiry and suggests the need for a special counsel.

Garland decides that appointing a special counsel is necessary for the public interest, as per the regulations for special counsel.

Jan. 9
For the first time since the discovery of the documents, the @WhiteHouse discloses publicly that sensitive materials had been found at Biden’s temporary office at @PennBiden Center and says it is cooperating with investigators.

Republicans react to the news by saying they expect that Biden will face the same kind of treatment for storing #ClassifiedDocuments in an unsecure location as Trump, whose home was raided by the #FBI in August.

No charges have been brought against Trump over the materials.

Trump issues a comment on Truth Social, asking: “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House? These documents were definitely not declassified.”

Jan. 10
Biden says he was “surprised” to learn that the #ClassifiedDocuments were found at the @PennBiden Center.

House Republicans announce that they’re opening an investigation into Biden’s handling of sensitive materials.

Rep. @JamesComer, the new chair of the House Oversight Committee, says that the panel has already opened a probe.

“The Committee is concerned that President Biden has compromised sources and methods with his own mishandling of classified documents.”

On the same day, Rep. @JamesComer also wrote a letter to the @USNatArchives' Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall to raise the question of “political bias” at the agency over what he described as “inconsistent treatment of recovering classified records” held by Biden and Trump.

Jan. 11
Lawyers working for Biden finished searching his homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach for additional official documents that may have been sent there during the transition between the Obama and Trump administrations in 2017.

The same day, White House @PressSec Karine Jean-Pierre delivers the first press briefing since news of the documents became public on Jan. 9.

She defends the administration’s actions while declining to answer how the documents came to be at the office. theepochtimes.com/white-house-do…

Republicans demand that the #DOJ take a tougher line on Biden, alleging bias against the GOP at the nation’s investigative agencies and judicial system. theepochtimes.com/absolutely-unf…

Jan. 12
Biden’s personal attorneys notify Lausch that an additional classified document was found at the president’s Wilmington home, according to Garland’s announcement.

No additional #ClassifiedDocuments were found at Biden’s residence in Rehoboth Beach, Sauber said.

Garland announces the appointment of #RobertHur as special counsel to investigate Biden's handling of #ClassifiedDocuments.

Sauber says the @WhiteHouse will cooperate with Hur’s probe.

House Republicans react to the appointment of the special counsel by saying they will press ahead with their own investigation. oversight.house.gov/release/comer-…

“With or without a special counsel, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee will investigate President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and the Swamp’s efforts to hide this information from the American people,” Rep. @JamesComer said.

Comer said that the @USNatArchives, the #DOJ, and the @WhiteHouse were all aware of the @PennBiden Center document stash before the #Midterms2022 but chose not to disclose this fact publicly.

“There are many questions about why the Biden Administration kept this matter…

…a secret from the public, who had access to the office and the residence, and what information is contained in these classified documents,” Comer said.

“Republicans will push for transparency, accountability, and answers for the American people.” theepochtimes.com/timeline-of-bi…

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