WASHINGTON — In naming a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents at President Joe Biden's Delaware home and former Washington office, Attorney General Merrick Garland described the appointment as underscoring the Justice Department's commitment to independence and accountability in particularly sensitive investigations.
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Timeline: Key dates in discovery of classified records tied to Biden
Jan. 20, 2017
Jan. 20, 2017: Biden's two terms as vice president to President Barack Obama end.
Mid-2017-2019
Mid-2017-2019: Biden periodically uses an office at the Penn Biden Center, a think tank in Washington.
Jan. 20, 2021
Jan. 20, 2021: Biden is sworn in as president.
Nov. 2-4, 2022
Biden's personal attorneys came across Obama-Biden administration documents Nov. 2, 2022, in a locked closet while packing files as they prepare to close out Biden's office in the Penn Biden Center. They notified the National Archives.
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Nov. 8, 2022
Nov. 8, 2022: Midterm elections.
November-December 2022
November-December 2022: Biden's lawyers search the president's homes in Wilmington, Delaware, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to see if there are other documents from his vice presidency.
Nov. 9, 2022
Nov. 9, 2022: The FBI begins an assessment of whether classified information has been mishandled.
Nov. 14, 2022
Nov. 14, 2022: Garland assigns U.S. attorney John Lausch to look into whether a special counsel should be appointed to investigate the matter.
Dec. 20, 2022
Dec. 20, 2022: Biden's personal counsel informs Lausch that a second batch of classified documents has been discovered in the garage at Biden's Wilmington home. The FBI goes to Biden's home in Wilmington and secures the documents.
Jan. 5, 2023
Jan. 5, 2023: Lausch advises Garland he believes that appointing a special counsel is warranted.
Jan. 9, 2023
Jan. 9, 2023:Â CBS News, followed by other news organizations, reveals the discovery of the documents at the Penn Biden Center. The White House acknowledges that "a small number" of Obama-Biden administration records, including some with classified markings, were found at the center. It makes no mention of the documents found in Wilmington.
Jan. 10-11: 2023
Jan. 10: 2023: Biden for the first time addresses the document issue. During a press conference in Mexico City, he says he was "surprised to learn that there were any documents" in the Penn Biden Center and doesn't know what's in them. He does not mention the documents found in Wilmington.
Jan. 11, 2023: Biden's lawyers complete their search of Biden's residences, find one additional classified document in the president's personal library in Wilmington. NBC News and other news organizations reveal a second batch of documents has been found at a location other than the Penn Wilson Center.
Jan. 12-14, 2023
Jan. 12: 2023: Biden's lawyer informs Lausch that an additional classified document has been found. Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, reveals publicly for the first time that documents were found in Biden's Wilmington garage and one document was found in an adjacent room. Garland announces that he has appointed Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney in the Trump administration, to serve as special counsel.
Jan. 14: 2023: The White House reveals that Biden's lawyers found more classified documents at his home than previously known. Sauber said in a statement that a total of six pages of classified documents were found during a search of Biden’s private library. Sauber said Biden’s personal lawyers, who did not have security clearances, stopped their search after finding the first page on Jan. 11. Sauber found the remaining material Jan. 12 as he was facilitating their retrieval by the Justice Department.
Feb. 1, 2023
Feb. 1:Â The FBI searched Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, without finding any classified documents, the president's personal attorney said. Agents did take some handwritten notes and other materials relating to Biden's time as vice president for review.
