Biden vs Trump Classified Doc Scandals: Are They Parallel?
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"While it's improper that the classified documents have ended up in either of these places and you know that we can we can safely say that it shouldn't have happened. There are many differences."
Introduction
Jonathan introduces the topic of the video, which is a comparison of the classified document scandals involving President Biden and former President Trump. He notes that there is a tendency for those on the right to paint the two incidents as parallel, while those on the left argue they are completely different. Jonathan aims to provide a synopsis of both cases and determine whether they are indeed parallel.
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Trump's classified documents case
- In May 2021, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) contacted Trump about missing documents following his loss in the 2020 election. The Presidential Records Act requires records to be transferred by the end of the term.
- Despite promises from Trump's team, the missing material was not returned. Trump had been displaying some of the documents, such as letters from Kim Jong-un, in his office.
- In December 2021, Trump's lawyer informed NARA of 12 boxes of documents, which turned out to be 15 boxes. These contained 184 unique classified documents, some marked top secret, secret, and confidential.
- The FBI found evidence that Trump's team had retained and was shuffling classified documents, even after a lawyer had signed an attestation that all such documents had been turned over.
- In August 2022, the FBI seized a further 100 classified documents from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. An empty classified folder was even on display at a Trump-themed bar.
- The case is still being investigated, with the Justice Department determining whether more government documents remain missing.
Biden's classified documents case
- On January 9th, 2023, the White House announced that about 10 documents with classified markings were discovered on November 2nd, 2022, in a locked closet at an office Biden had used from 2017 to 2020.
- NARA was notified on the day the documents were found and collected them the next morning.
- Biden's lawyers searched his two residences in Delaware, finding a small number of classified documents in his locked garage and five pages in the house. These were given to the Justice Department.
- It is unknown how the Biden documents found their way to their locations, but it is likely a genuine mistake.
- Some Republicans have suggested the news was delayed until after the midterms, but in Trump's case, it took nine months for the news to be made public.
Comparing the two cases
Jonathan concludes that while it is improper for classified documents to have ended up in either case, there are significant differences:
- There are far fewer documents in Biden's case, which were locked away rather than strewn about and shown to people.
- Biden has cooperated fully with the Justice Department, voluntarily contacting them and following due process. There was no subpoena or FBI search.
- Trump could be in serious trouble for not cooperating and potentially entering into illegality, whereas, in Biden's case, it is more plausible that there was just negligence or wrong decisions.
Wrap up
Jonathan believes it is a shame that people seem to put these cases as a complete equivalence when they are not, although similar things have happened to some degree. He invites respectful disagreement and discussion in the comments. Finally, he thanks viewers for watching and asks them to like, subscribe, and share the video.
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