On the day of an unexpected report that the Justice Department made a deal to keep F.B.I. agents away from the search, President Joe Biden displayed the demeanor of a man who believes he is invincible, smirking and laughing in response to reporters’ questions about the classified documents stashed at his Delaware home.
After concluding his meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, President Joe Biden was flooded with shouted questions from reporters, with the previously apathetic press now taking a severe interest in Democratic responsibility.
However, his amused reaction could be taken by others as evidence that he is already aware of the situation’s outcome.
A confident Biden refused to answer the yelled questions from reporters on Tuesday about the escalating scandal that could bring down his presidency. A response that comes as news broke that the D.O.J. initially considered the presence of the F.B.I. to oversee the search conducted by Biden’s personal attorneys for additional classified material but ditched the plan after consulting with the president’s legal team.
According to media reports, the Justice Department determined that the presence of the F.B.I. would only complicate the investigation because Biden’s attorneys had already turned over the first batch of stolen documents and were cooperating, citing anonymous sources and people with knowledge of the situation.
According to media reports, the two parties agreed that Mr. Biden’s attorneys would search the home, alert the Justice Department if any possible sensitive documents were discovered, and arrange for law enforcement officials to handle them. Unreported discussions highlight how the Biden team’s efforts to cooperate with investigators have helped it thus far to avoid more severe actions by law enforcement.
Attorney General Merrick Garland selected Robert Hur, a former federal prosecutor in the Trump administration, as a special counsel in the matter, prompting the Department of Justice to take a hands-off stance. A far less harsh approach to what might be a serious national security issue than what was taken against Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago estate was raided in August 2022 by F.B.I. agents.
Some will invariably use the differential in treatment as more evidence of America’s two-tiered judicial system, one for Democrats and one for Republicans.
The White House has also heightened its measures to divert attention away from Biden’s theft of classified documents by dangling the apparent ‘backroom deal’ of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as an incentive for conservative lawmakers to support him during the contentious process of electing the new Republican majority’s leadership.
Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates urged McCarthy to disclose any agreements he may have made with the despised MAGA Republicans to attain the speakership.
Bates had asked McCarthy what other secret deals he had made behind closed doors with the most radical, ultra-MAGA members of the House Republican conference, adding that the American people have a right to know, which is why Bates is demanding McCarthy make all of them instantly public.