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Three theories explaining curious timing of Biden documents

Ben Weingarten Federalist Senior Contributor; Claremont Institute Fellow
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With Attorney General Merrick Garland appointing a special counsel and the House Oversight Committee launching an official investigation into the president’s handling of classified documents, 2023 is already shaping up to be a challenging year for the White House. Claiming a double standard, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) also launched an investigation into Biden’s “mishandling” of the documents. Straight Arrow News contributor Ben Weingarten has some theories about the curious timing of the discovery by Biden’s lawyers, all of which point to Democrats’ meddling.

Revelations Joe Biden departed the Obama White House with classified documents he would have had no authority to possess, found by his lawyers recently in D.C.’s Penn Biden Center, and in the president’s Delaware garage, have rocked the nation. 

Amid these revelations, and public outrage over a seeming double standard in the DOJ’s relentless pursuit of former President Donald Trump, and deference towards Biden regarding document handling, Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to Biden’s case, as he did to Trump’s.

We’ve got a lot of questions about the Biden Papers, but here’s the biggest one: Why have these papers surfaced now, and to what end? There are no coincidences in politics. Beyond the conspicuous timing of the Biden Paper leaks and special counsel coming just after Republicans got their House in order – Republicans who promise to investigate Biden and the Deep State now investigating him – we’re to believe Biden’s lawyers just happened to stumble upon materials Biden’s been sitting on for six years, that put him in the same legal peril as Trump?

Assuming all isn’t above board, I’ve got three theories about what’s going on.

Theory one: The Democrats and/or Deep State want Joe Biden out. 

Theory two: The DOJ and FBI are using the Biden Papers to further their self interest.

Theory three: The Biden Papers are about distracting us from a bigger scandal.

We’re just left with one question: If Joe Biden is deep sixed by that Deep State, will he get behind the House Republicans’ new Church Committee?

Revelations Joe Biden departed the Obama White House with classified documents he would have had no authority to possess, found by his lawyers recently in D.C.’s Penn Biden Center, and in the president’s Delaware garage, have rocked the nation. 

Amid these revelations, and public outrage over a seeming double standard in the DOJ’s relentless pursuit of former President Donald Trump, and deference towards Biden regarding document handling, Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to Biden’s case, as he did to Trump’s.

We’ve got a lot of questions about the Biden Papers, but here’s the biggest one: Why have these papers surfaced now, and to what end? There are no coincidences in politics. Beyond the conspicuous timing of the Biden Paper leaks and special counsel coming just after Republicans got their House in order – Republicans who promise to investigate Biden and the Deep State now investigating him – we’re to believe Biden’s lawyers just happened to stumble upon materials Biden’s been sitting on for six years, that put him in the same legal peril as Trump?

Assuming all isn’t above board, I’ve got three theories about what’s going on.

One: The Democrats and/or Deep State want Joe Biden out. 

For Democrats, the rationale is obvious: Biden has advanced the radical progressive agenda as far as he could. With the House now lost, and Biden past his “sell by” date, the Party can now reset with a fresh figurehead.

The timing’s perfect. The Biden Papers weren’t leaked till after the midterms, so Democrats were insulated from blowback.

The post-midterm point is also perfect for another reason. Under the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, one can serve as president for up to ten years by replacing a president for the last two years of his term, and then winning two elections. 

With President Biden’s third year about to begin, were he to step down soon or be removed, Vice President Kamala Harris could assume the office and reign for a decade.

At minimum, with the Biden Papers hanging over his head, the Democrat Party could use them to pressure Joe out of running in ‘24.

As for the Deep State, it’s harder to know what beef it might have with Biden. But it’s telling that when he’s made big proclamations on national security and foreign policy, mouthpieces have often walked it back, for example on Taiwan. 

Why threaten Biden over document handling? 

Because Joe knows as Chuck Schumer told Trump, the intelligence community can get you “six ways from Sunday.” 

There could be far worse dirt out there – just follow the leads on Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Put yourself in the president’s shoes. Would you rather step aside over something less serious, or risk getting hit with bigger bombshells, leading to potential impeachment, possible removal, charges once out of office, and trouble for your family? 

And don’t forget Biden’s family already faces trouble. Hunter Biden is still under investigation and facing possible charges. Could it be there’s a quid pro Joe – that if the president walks away, authorities will spare his son?

Here’s Theory 2: The DOJ and FBI are using the Biden Papers to further their self-interest.

The public image of these agencies is under threat with the House Judiciary Committee having just established a subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government that threatens to expose the agencies’ lawlessness and corruption. 

What better way to blunt the force of a subcommittee claiming the Deep State’s been weaponized against conservatives, than to two days after it comes into being, announce a special counsel probe of the Democrat president, analogous to the special counsel probe already underway into the prior Republican president?

By selecting a special counsel now for Trump and Biden, the FBI and DOJ also likely believe they have hived off these two cases from the prying eyes of House Republicans and other inquiring minds. 

The special counsel also gives DOJ optionality. Say it realizes its case against Trump on handling of classified documents is weak since he had declassification authority as president, and the case against Biden is stronger given he lacked it. How to “save face?” 

Punt the charges against Trump, find no wrongdoing for Biden too as a matter of “fairness,” but indict Trump on other matters like obstruction. 

The DOJ can claim it acted apolitically, while still getting Trump.

Now for Theory 3: The Biden Papers are about distracting us from a bigger scandal. This speaks for itself. If Americans are focusing on the Biden Papers, what aren’t we focusing on? What don’t authorities want us to see?

We’re just left with one question: If Joe Biden is deep-sixed by that Deep State, will he get behind the House Republicans’ New Church Committee?

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