In the wake of a growing scandal over mishandled classified documents, the mainstream media is proving quick to defend President Joe Biden.

And this defense goes back months. It was revealed last week that the first set of documents was discovered on November 2, just days before the 2022 midterm elections. Yet CBS, the first major news outlet to break the story, did not do so until mid-January.

Republicans in Congress are questioning the media's silence and the potential collusion with the FBI which gave Democrats an edge in an election they were predicted to lose.

Politico wrote on Friday:

Based on what we know now, Biden’s sloppy retention of a smattering of classified documents looks more like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s inadvertent retention of classified material on a private email server than former President Donald Trump’s stubborn refusal to return hundreds of classified documents to the DOJ despite repeated demands from federal officials.

MSNBC said on Saturday:

Biden’s conduct is unlikely to be characterized as criminal, even if he weren’t the sitting president. …The Biden story is one of cooperation, not obstruction.

Yet, the classified documents spanned 2013-2016 and reportedly contain intelligence briefings and memos on Iran, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, and it is unclear who may have had access to them.

CNN wrote in August that the news of Trump’s documents “threatened to inject new toxins into the political life of a nation that is hopelessly divided,” further adding,“The stakes for the investigators and for the country’s political future are, therefore, enormous.”

And Politico said this on August 31, 2022:

Former president Donald Trump’s stubborn refusal to return highly classified material forced the Justice Department’s hand, resulting in the execution of a search warrant at his residence. But while it is possible the DOJ merely wanted to retrieve and secure the material that Trump refused to give back to the government, if they decide to press forward with charges, their case looks quite strong.

And yet, Politico wrote on Friday:

... Like the Clinton investigation, it’s not clear that this [Biden] matter meets even the low bar for initiation of a criminal investigation.

 

… So why investigate it at all?

Despite the insistence that the Biden documents are no great cause for concern, the new Republican Congressional majority is taking action.

The House Judiciary Committee is launching an investigation into Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. Biden’s personal attorneys discovered classified documents in a Biden-founded think tank days before the midterm elections, and then more documents in multiple places and at different times in Biden’s personal residence in Delaware.

Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland to begin a special investigation.

“It is unclear when the Department first came to learn about the existence of these
documents, and whether it actively concealed this information from the public on the eve of the 2022 elections,” the congressmen wrote.

The letter outlined several requests, saying, “The American people deserve transparency and accountability from our most-senior executive law enforcement officials.” 

New Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy compared Trump’s FBI raid to the Biden documents.

“You watched them leak photos of sitting out files of President Trump. Where’s the photos of President Biden’s documents? Where are those photos at?” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said to reporters on Thursday.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) tweeted that the Senate Intelligence Committee must be provided with all of the classified documents, so that the committee can determine the risk to the country had the documents been leaked.

House Republicans are also raising further questions over who has had access to the documents.

The White House claims that there are no visitor logs to President Biden’s residence in Delaware, where classified documents were found in his garage and study. The White House told Fox that while the president receives Secret Service detail at his personal residence, he does not keep a log of visitors.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) wrote White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain:

It is troubling that classified documents have been improperly stored at the home of President Biden for at least six years, raising questions about who may have reviewed or had access to classified information.

 

Additionally, President Biden’s personal attorneys, who do not possess security clearances, and White House staff continue to access and search the President’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware for classified documents.

 

…Given the serious national security implications, the White House must provide the Wilmington residence’s visitor log.

 

As Chief of Staff, you are head of the Executive Office of the President and bear responsibility to be transparent with the American people on these important issues related to the White House’s handling of this matter.

Comer also issued the following statement:

President Biden’s three strikes against transparency will be met with swift congressional oversight.

 

…The Biden White House’s secrecy in this matter is alarming. Equally alarming is the fact that Biden aides were combing through documents knowing there would be a Special Counsel appointed. Many questions need to be answered but one thing is certain: oversight is coming.