How President Trump’s Handling of Classified Materials Compares to Biden, Pence, and Clinton

Following the indictment of former President Donald Trump in connection with alleged mishandling of classified documents, the former president and his supporters say he is being targeted by a politically weaponized justice system. claim. They claim the Justice Department has ignored similar criminal allegations by his rivals, including President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In his post-arraignment address on Tuesday, Trump said he was the only one charged with a felony, even though Biden, Clinton and other former presidents committed far more serious crimes than he did. claimed. It’s proof that he’s the victim of a political witch hunt, he says.

While many of the other claims run counter to the evidence, President Trump said Mr. Biden possessed a “treasure trove of classified documents” from his time as Vice President and Senator, sent back “1,850 boxes,” and “willing to let them go.” I refuse,” he said. He added that Clinton “stored vast amounts of confidential information on illegal servers.”

Biden, Clinton, and President Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence have all faced questions about retaining government documents from when they took office. And like Trump, Biden is the subject of a Justice Department investigation led by a special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Below is an overview of the three cases and a comparison with the Trump case.

Joe Biden

Following media reports in January, the White House said in November that the president’s personal lawyers had discovered classified documents from the Biden era held at the Penn Biden Center, a think tank in Washington.

The White House notified the National Archives, which said it had recovered the documents and forwarded them to the Justice Department. He directed the FBI to search the think tank, but this was done with the consent of the White House. It is unknown if they found any additional classified records.

Additional classified documents were found by Biden’s personal attorney at the president’s private residence in Wilmington, Delaware, and reported to the Justice Department. The documents were secured by FBI agents, who found several more classified records during a search of Biden’s home with the consent of the White House. The FBI also searched Biden’s vacation home in Rehoboth, Delaware, but found no sensitive material.

In January, Garland appointed former Maryland state prosecutor Robert Herr to oversee the investigation. An investigation into Huh is ongoing, but it is unclear when it will end. The White House promised full cooperation.

Mike Pence

In January, Mr. Pence’s attorneys found about a dozen classified documents at Mr. Pence’s home in Indiana and turned them over to the FBI. The documents were discovered after Mr. Pence “out of caution” asked his lawyers to search his home after Mr. Biden’s disclosure of confidential documents.

A month later, the FBI found additional classified documents in his home during a search. The search was conducted with Pence’s consent.

In June, the Justice Department informed Pence that an investigation into his handling of the materials was closed and no charges would be filed.

Hillary Clinton

In 2015, Clinton used a personal email account and a private server at her New York mansion for both personal and public correspondence during her tenure as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. was discovered, raising concerns about security and the potential for mishandling of sensitive information. information.

FBI investigation reveals that Clinton and her aides deleted thousands of emails that they said were personal and allegedly tried to cover up information that could incriminate them is occurring.

In July 2016, during Clinton’s presidential campaign, then-FBI Director James Comey accused her of being “very careless” in handling classified information, but did not recommend criminal charges.

deliberate retention

The main difference between the three lawsuits and Trump’s lawsuit, legal experts say, is that the former president deliberately tried to get the documents back, despite repeated attempts by the government to get the documents back, including through subpoenas. He said he kept the documents.

“The criminal act is knowing that you are in possession of a document containing military sensitive information and knowingly keeping it,” David Sklansky, a professor of constitutional criminal procedure at Stanford University, told VOA. Stated.

Mark Zeid, an attorney who specializes in national security law, said that unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden and Mr. Pence handled the revelations appropriately and the matter was closed.

“If President Trump had cooperated, the same thing would have happened,” Zeid told VOA.

Allison Lacroix, a professor of constitutional studies at the University of Chicago, said the indictment evidence released by Special Counsel Jack Smith was “very compelling” that President Trump knew he was in possession of the classified material. have ‘shown’.

Aside from the question of whether Biden and Pence knew they had classified documents, Lacroix added that “they never tried to cover up classified documents.”

As for Clinton, Zaid added that officials determined that she had no intention of violating the law and that those involved avoided discussing confidential information.

hunter biden

In remarks Tuesday, President Trump claimed the Biden administration was targeting him to distract him from “real espionage and real crime.”

“Let’s indict President Trump and stop him talking about the $5 million bribe,” he said.

Since 2019, when Trump was campaigning against Biden in the 2020 presidential election, around 2015, executives at Ukrainian energy company Burisma poured millions of dollars into Biden and his son, and then He has accused former Vice President Biden of trying to pressure Ukraine. Fire the government prosecutor investigating the company for corruption.

In June 2020, the head of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Service said neither Biden nor Hunter Biden, who joined Burisma as a director in 2014, had anything to do with the company’s corruption scandal.

A congressional inquiry that later led to Trump’s first impeachment in December 2019 concluded that Trump pressured the Ukrainian government to release an investigation into Biden, including withholding military aid to Kiev.

House Republicans in January started an investigation Involved in the Biden family’s business dealings. In May they released a financial document detailing how some of the president’s relatives received compensation of more than $10 million from foreign sources between 2015 and 2017, which they acknowledged. rice field Failing to reveal evidence of criminal activity and corruption By President Biden.