New evidence that came to light earlier this month could “destroy” President Joe Biden’s defense in the ongoing case alleging his mishandling of classified documents, according to U.S. attorney and legal professor, Jonathan Turley.
The new evidence—a differing timeline on the discovery of classified documents in various locations associated with President Biden—was released by the House Oversight Committee on Oct. 11 and obtained following multiple transcribed interviews with senior White House officials.
The timeline, according to Mr. Turley, contradicts earlier statements and a timeline provided by the White House in which President Biden said he had no knowledge that the top-secret documents from his time as vice president had been taken to his home and former office after he had left the role.
“The new evidence could prove transformative, not only for the criminal but the impeachment investigation of the president,” Mr. Turley wrote of the timeline.
According to Mr. Turley, it appears that a claim from the White House and President Biden’s counsel that the National Archives was notified as soon as the documents were discovered at the Penn Biden Center was actually “not true.”
In his opinion piece, Mr. Turley referred to Annie Tomasini, a senior aide to President Biden and an alleged “close friend” to his son, Hunter Biden, who, according to the Oversight Committee, inspected the classified material on March 18, 2021, two months after President Biden took office.
Biden’s Timeline ‘Incomplete and Misleading’
The inventory inspection occurred nearly 20 months before the White House said it had found classified documents at the Penn Biden Center in Washington. Further documents were found at one of his homes in Wilmington, Delaware and more were subsequently found later in the president’s home library.Due to the discovery of the differing timeline, the House Oversight Committee now alleges that President Biden’s initial timeline was “incomplete and misleading.”
In an Oct. 11 statement, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said the White House’s initial timeline “omitted months of communications, planning, and coordinating among multiple White House officials” as well as Penn Biden Center employees, and President Biden’s personal attorneys to retrieve the boxes containing classified materials.
“The timeline also omitted multiple visits from at least five White House employees, including Dana Remus, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams, Annie Tomasini, and an unknown staffer,” the Republican lawmaker said.
“There is no reasonable explanation as to why this many White House employees and lawyers were so concerned with retrieving boxes they believed only contained personal documents and materials,” continued Mr. Comer. “The Committee believes the White House can provide important insight regarding the discrepancies between the official accounts released by the White House and President Biden’s attorney, and the explanations we have received through multiple transcribed interviews regarding the classified documents.”
In his opinion piece, Mr. Turley said that, if the new evidence is true, it “demolishes the timeline long maintained by the Biden team” and could “have an immediate impact on both the criminal and impeachment investigations.”
‘Past Narrative May No Longer Suffice’
The legal expert also noted that the White House’s timeline has long proven to be a “critical distinction” distinguishing President Biden’s case alleging his mishandling of classified documents from that of former President Donald Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago home was raided in August, during which around 11,000 documents—some of which were marked classified—were seized by the FBI.President Trump is charged with the willful retention of national defense information, making false statements, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
The new classified documents timeline in President Biden’s case “would now more closely mirror Trump’s timeline in the knowing retention of classified material, the failure to turn over all of the classified material despite assurances from counsel, and alleged false accounts about the document’s discovery,” Mr. Turley wrote.
“If this new timeline is accurate, the question is whether Biden knew that the account being put forward by his staff and counsel was false. It also raises the question of whether the president knowingly possessed classified documents and lied about their removal, use, and discovery,” the legal expert wrote in his opinion piece. “Finally, if Biden repeated his public denials to Hur, there could be added allegations of false statements to federal investigators, another commonly-charged federal crime,” he added.
While it is unclear whether or not the new evidence will impact President Biden’s classified documents case, Mr. Turley concluded that one thing that remains clear is that “the past narrative may no longer suffice.”
“Likewise, if these allegations are true and Biden knowingly committed these crimes, the question for Congress could be whether he should remain as president,” the legal expert concluded.
The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for further comment.
