Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was pressed by CNN for answers about President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents.
CNN reporter Don Lemon noted Justice Department officials concluded a special prosecutor should investigate the president’s unlawful record retention.
Administration statements earlier this week about the classified documents removed from the White House when Biden was vice president were considered incomplete. Hence the advice to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was to appoint a special counsel to investigate.
Garland appointed Robert Hur, former District of Maryland U.S. Attorney, as special counsel. Hur’s mandate is to investigate possible unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents found at the Penn Biden Center and the president’s Wilmington, Delaware, garage.
“I have to say this,” Lemon said to Schumer. “You seem much more measured about this than with the Trump documents because you called for transparency with the Trump documents. You wanted lawmakers to have access to the documents seized from the former president’s residence in Florida.”
“The bottom line is, I said, that night, it’s premature to comment on what should be done,” Schumer replied.
Lemon followed up, asking if he meant he said that about Donald Trump.
“Yes, for President Trump,” responded the N.Y. Democrat. “That’s exactly right. That’s what I said.”
Don-Lemon-Presses-Sen-Chuck-Schumer-On-His-Reaction-To-Biden-Documents-Versus-Trump-s
The CNN reporter asked for clarification if Schumer was saying his approach to both instances of classified documents removed from the White House was consistent. The Senate majority leader said he had been consistent.
CNN reporter Poppy Harlow began to ask Schumer about the government’s handling of disclosures about Biden having classified records dating before 2017.
“There is a real question about transparency and what the American people deserve,” Harlow began before Schumer interjected.
“Bottom line,” declared Schumer, prosecutors will get to the bottom of things and let’s let them do it, for G*d’s sake. I know you all want to buzz around with this.”
“It’s not just us buzzing around,” Lemon interrupted. “You’re the Democratic head of the Senate, this is a really important issue. It’s not just buzzing around, this is serious stuff.”
Schumer retorted that he may have a point if there was not a special prosecutor prepared to dig into the matter.
“And now we have the law enforcement people who have the power to get all the facts out, doing it,” he added. “I support both, I think we should have a special prosecutor on each. I don’t mind you asking these questions, but my view is I’m not going to say anything.”
“Let the special prosecutors do their job,” Schumer concluded.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
