First tonight, a programming note. After a full day of teaching on Thursday, I’ll be getting a colonoscopy on Friday. I suspect that means you won’t hear from me again before this Sunday’s “The Week Ahead.” I share this personal information so you’ll know why I’m away during the rest of this week of fast-breaking developments but also, more importantly, to encourage you, if you’re of “a certain age” like I am, to make sure you get screened when your doctor suggests you should. I’m getting a colonoscopy because a close friend from law school who died of cancer last year made me promise I would. I hope you’ll all look after yourselves too.
This isn’t just a matter of law. It is also political kryptonite. And, it is an opportunity for the Biden administration and the department of justice to model how to properly and openly conduct investigations into matters that are politically loaded, but where the law must also be followed. Among other things, political leaders understand that there cannot be an appearance of corruption. And if something can be construed to be corrupt, it must be thoroughly investigated. It also presents an opportunity to improve the procedure for the handling of documents by officials in high office and for their secure transfer once their term ends. In short, this is a teaching moment for the Biden administration, and an opportunity to apply the same standards to investigating and probably prosecuting Trump.
In today's toxic political environment, Democrats must show that they can effectively counter Trumpublicans' exploitation of this situation to undermine the administration's agenda and attack President Biden's leadership.
And, of course, I wish you a good outcome with your medical screening.
Thank you Joyce for an excellent clarification of the classified documents situations. I also want to thank you for talking about your colonoscopy and the importance of screening. Colon cancer is very preventable when recommended screening is done. I have to have a colonoscopy every year due to an increased risk of colon cancer due to a genetic predisposition. It’s not a big deal and worth doing to prevent colon cancer. So if anyone is putting it off....please don’t and get it done.
It’s so interesting. Knowing how long Biden has been of service to his country, how aware and respectful he is of its rules and the due respect, it is somehow somewhat strange to see these twin discoveries of documents. Could these have been planted ? Considering the intrinsic qualities of the person and the timeline of the discoveries, this might be a fair question .
Second, I hope I don't come across as PollyAnnish, but given that the records were present at the Penn Biden Center, I am glad that they were discovered now, before Jack Smith has made his decision re: what to charge Trump. This allows him to flesh any charges arising from the Trump held documents knowing there will be "what-about-ism." In other words this won't be an unpleasant surprise later in the process.
Third, I am sure there have been many times over the past 2 years when Merrick Garland had to say to himself, "why did I give up my post on the Court of Appeal for what has to be the most difficult job in Washington, D.C.?' I imagine when he got news of these documents, that thought had to run through his mind - if only briefly.
First of all, good luck on your colonoscopy. They are important to have. Secondly, I was listening to a former ethics attorney for the White House under Bush discussing the case of the Biden papers on NPR this morning and saying that it was careless because someone should have checked the papers out and in when they are moved, and even if it was the people working for him the buck stops with him. I cannot picture the situation. We do not know the government protocols for releasing documents that are classified or other. Can a secretary have such clearance, or is it only politicians? My husband has had to have certain clearances for working with supercomputers as a physicist and working in a national lab. I imagine that might be true of maintenance people as well. When I took my class to the White House many years ago because we traveled with a celebrity that had adopted us we all needed clearance, that is my students, the people I chose as chaperones, the celebrity and his pr people, the people they chose to bring along and me. We were cleared to meet the president, although we did not. We ended up meeting with his wife who later ran for president herself. However, that is not the same as informational clearance. I would like to have a picture of this situation. My concern is that it just looks careless on the part of Biden, as does the surprise. Now more papers have been found elsewhere. That is not how things look with Trump. In fact the attorney being interviewed on NPR said that he is surprised that the DOJ only looked at Mar-a-Lago given the situation with Trump. I hope that we just did not know that they have looked elsewhere because he did not choose to share that with everyone. What the news today has revealed to me is that in my democratic dominated state of Illinois a lot of business is getting done like gun control and abortion protections. In Washington, where bills start in the House, they are going to mainly spend their time investigating instead of governing. Somehow I do not think that is the job of the Congress. That is the job of the Department of Justice. They are supposed to legislate. I am getting ready to go join the Women's March on January 22, the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade. It is super important to get out there and let these Republicans in Congress know that just like in Iran and China, we are not just taking what they are doing lying down.
Thank you Joyce, for your thorough and unbiased assessment of this situation.
And as a woman of a certain age, I thank you for suggesting we follow doctor recommendations. To do otherwise would be gross negligence. Wishing you an unremarkable procedure Friday.
Speaking from experience, "colonoscopy" sounds worse than it turns out to be (they knock you out) but the preparations are sure to convince you I am wrong. Here's hoping you get a nice "clean" report.
Thanks for the explanations tonight, but I fear since we are dealing with an enemy who lives on bad faith that a reasonable rational discussion of the events and their parallels will be impossible. Particularly when that enemy is looking for anything to distract from his trip to the hoosegow.
Great missive tonight and good on ya for the colonoscopy. It’s a life saving, relatively easy procedure and worth the night of discomfort before. Enjoy the propofol trip!
Hi Joyce. Things seem to be really heating up since the midterms and the mess in the House. But Biden is methodical and works so very hard at improving all our lives, this situation will take care of itself. And it had been blown out if control. I just wish the Republicans who have any sense left will find a way to push out the election deniers once and for all. They do not belong in our Congress. Biden is a once in a lifetime president and deserves all our respect and support. Bonne chance on your procedure. We are all with you on this. Thanks for the in-depth report to help us become more knowing of what the “big boys and girls” are up to. One more step for mankind 🇺🇸
Thank you for the explanation. While I believe President Biden is innocent, finding these documents is very disturbing on so many levels. One of my greatest concerns from the beginning of the Biden Presidency (which I have written about a number of times on another site) was the failure of this administration to "clean house."
Given my concern that AG Garland was doing nothing about the alleged internal Insurrectionists, I wondered how many department heads, particularly in the 19 Intelligence Departments (I only read that this is the number; I don't know firsthand)--had cleaned house. From what I could learn, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was the only person to do so. (There could be more, but he's the only one I found.) Secretary Austin asked for everyone's resignation--at least among those who were advisors--vetted them all, and rebuilt his department. I don't know what he did about the civil servants. Cleaning house was also a way of getting rid of the last minute Trump appointees, of which there were many, and they all were political appointees who were highly suspect.
Given the level of dishonesty, criminality, and alleged sedition in the Trump White House, and the number of people who were forced to resign, (like Ryan Zinke, who never was investigated by AG Garland and has just been seated as a congressman from Montana), the Biden Administration's lack of attention to internal security issues was/is an anathema.
And, of course, the worst offender, who seemingly did no investigations and/or did them, but let everyone off, was former AG William Barr. I still don't understand why he hasn't been investigated.
I don't have any firsthand knowledge of the White House, and what is usually done. But, during the Trump administration, there were so many people who were fired for cause, others who enriched themselves and left, and others who had violated any number of protocols. I would have thought that getting rid of those still in office, and investigating the rest, should have been a top priority. Joyce, I know you're having the colonoscopy procedure, but I wish that as some point you'll explain why nothing has been done.
It often seems like no one is in charge. And, now that this has happened, and if it is an inside job, whatever President Biden does to tighten security will be considered highly suspect.
Who planted classified documents in offices of Biden? Hum... looks like a way to take the spot light off of Trump. I hope there are cameras to show who was in and out of that office.
When they found the second set I became more convinced that the documents were planted. I was never a conspiracy theorist, but these days I know anything can happen. Look at all the wasted energy there will be over this instead of in the trumpers where it belongs .... and pray that this doesn’t slow the justice department even further. It’s just the mess the Rs would pray for.
Biden is president and can get his hands on the most highly classified information inside the federal archives and elsewhere. He has no reason to stash old papers in a closet for years. Trump stole documents, refused to give them back. This is a non-story.
This isn’t just a matter of law. It is also political kryptonite. And, it is an opportunity for the Biden administration and the department of justice to model how to properly and openly conduct investigations into matters that are politically loaded, but where the law must also be followed. Among other things, political leaders understand that there cannot be an appearance of corruption. And if something can be construed to be corrupt, it must be thoroughly investigated. It also presents an opportunity to improve the procedure for the handling of documents by officials in high office and for their secure transfer once their term ends. In short, this is a teaching moment for the Biden administration, and an opportunity to apply the same standards to investigating and probably prosecuting Trump.
In today's toxic political environment, Democrats must show that they can effectively counter Trumpublicans' exploitation of this situation to undermine the administration's agenda and attack President Biden's leadership.
And, of course, I wish you a good outcome with your medical screening.
Thank you Joyce for an excellent clarification of the classified documents situations. I also want to thank you for talking about your colonoscopy and the importance of screening. Colon cancer is very preventable when recommended screening is done. I have to have a colonoscopy every year due to an increased risk of colon cancer due to a genetic predisposition. It’s not a big deal and worth doing to prevent colon cancer. So if anyone is putting it off....please don’t and get it done.
Thank you so much Joyce.
It’s so interesting. Knowing how long Biden has been of service to his country, how aware and respectful he is of its rules and the due respect, it is somehow somewhat strange to see these twin discoveries of documents. Could these have been planted ? Considering the intrinsic qualities of the person and the timeline of the discoveries, this might be a fair question .
Isn't there a checkout system, like a library, so the National Archives knows where documents are, who checked them out, when they should be returned?
First, good luck on your procedure tomorrow.
Second, I hope I don't come across as PollyAnnish, but given that the records were present at the Penn Biden Center, I am glad that they were discovered now, before Jack Smith has made his decision re: what to charge Trump. This allows him to flesh any charges arising from the Trump held documents knowing there will be "what-about-ism." In other words this won't be an unpleasant surprise later in the process.
Third, I am sure there have been many times over the past 2 years when Merrick Garland had to say to himself, "why did I give up my post on the Court of Appeal for what has to be the most difficult job in Washington, D.C.?' I imagine when he got news of these documents, that thought had to run through his mind - if only briefly.
First of all, good luck on your colonoscopy. They are important to have. Secondly, I was listening to a former ethics attorney for the White House under Bush discussing the case of the Biden papers on NPR this morning and saying that it was careless because someone should have checked the papers out and in when they are moved, and even if it was the people working for him the buck stops with him. I cannot picture the situation. We do not know the government protocols for releasing documents that are classified or other. Can a secretary have such clearance, or is it only politicians? My husband has had to have certain clearances for working with supercomputers as a physicist and working in a national lab. I imagine that might be true of maintenance people as well. When I took my class to the White House many years ago because we traveled with a celebrity that had adopted us we all needed clearance, that is my students, the people I chose as chaperones, the celebrity and his pr people, the people they chose to bring along and me. We were cleared to meet the president, although we did not. We ended up meeting with his wife who later ran for president herself. However, that is not the same as informational clearance. I would like to have a picture of this situation. My concern is that it just looks careless on the part of Biden, as does the surprise. Now more papers have been found elsewhere. That is not how things look with Trump. In fact the attorney being interviewed on NPR said that he is surprised that the DOJ only looked at Mar-a-Lago given the situation with Trump. I hope that we just did not know that they have looked elsewhere because he did not choose to share that with everyone. What the news today has revealed to me is that in my democratic dominated state of Illinois a lot of business is getting done like gun control and abortion protections. In Washington, where bills start in the House, they are going to mainly spend their time investigating instead of governing. Somehow I do not think that is the job of the Congress. That is the job of the Department of Justice. They are supposed to legislate. I am getting ready to go join the Women's March on January 22, the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade. It is super important to get out there and let these Republicans in Congress know that just like in Iran and China, we are not just taking what they are doing lying down.
Thank you Joyce, for your thorough and unbiased assessment of this situation.
And as a woman of a certain age, I thank you for suggesting we follow doctor recommendations. To do otherwise would be gross negligence. Wishing you an unremarkable procedure Friday.
Speaking from experience, "colonoscopy" sounds worse than it turns out to be (they knock you out) but the preparations are sure to convince you I am wrong. Here's hoping you get a nice "clean" report.
Thanks for the explanations tonight, but I fear since we are dealing with an enemy who lives on bad faith that a reasonable rational discussion of the events and their parallels will be impossible. Particularly when that enemy is looking for anything to distract from his trip to the hoosegow.
Right on Right on! And very best of luck to you!!!
I’m glad you are taking care of yourself. I also like that you told us about why and regarding how you made your decision so very clearly. Thank you.
Great missive tonight and good on ya for the colonoscopy. It’s a life saving, relatively easy procedure and worth the night of discomfort before. Enjoy the propofol trip!
Hi Joyce. Things seem to be really heating up since the midterms and the mess in the House. But Biden is methodical and works so very hard at improving all our lives, this situation will take care of itself. And it had been blown out if control. I just wish the Republicans who have any sense left will find a way to push out the election deniers once and for all. They do not belong in our Congress. Biden is a once in a lifetime president and deserves all our respect and support. Bonne chance on your procedure. We are all with you on this. Thanks for the in-depth report to help us become more knowing of what the “big boys and girls” are up to. One more step for mankind 🇺🇸
Thank you for the explanation. While I believe President Biden is innocent, finding these documents is very disturbing on so many levels. One of my greatest concerns from the beginning of the Biden Presidency (which I have written about a number of times on another site) was the failure of this administration to "clean house."
Given my concern that AG Garland was doing nothing about the alleged internal Insurrectionists, I wondered how many department heads, particularly in the 19 Intelligence Departments (I only read that this is the number; I don't know firsthand)--had cleaned house. From what I could learn, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was the only person to do so. (There could be more, but he's the only one I found.) Secretary Austin asked for everyone's resignation--at least among those who were advisors--vetted them all, and rebuilt his department. I don't know what he did about the civil servants. Cleaning house was also a way of getting rid of the last minute Trump appointees, of which there were many, and they all were political appointees who were highly suspect.
Given the level of dishonesty, criminality, and alleged sedition in the Trump White House, and the number of people who were forced to resign, (like Ryan Zinke, who never was investigated by AG Garland and has just been seated as a congressman from Montana), the Biden Administration's lack of attention to internal security issues was/is an anathema.
And, of course, the worst offender, who seemingly did no investigations and/or did them, but let everyone off, was former AG William Barr. I still don't understand why he hasn't been investigated.
I don't have any firsthand knowledge of the White House, and what is usually done. But, during the Trump administration, there were so many people who were fired for cause, others who enriched themselves and left, and others who had violated any number of protocols. I would have thought that getting rid of those still in office, and investigating the rest, should have been a top priority. Joyce, I know you're having the colonoscopy procedure, but I wish that as some point you'll explain why nothing has been done.
It often seems like no one is in charge. And, now that this has happened, and if it is an inside job, whatever President Biden does to tighten security will be considered highly suspect.
Who planted classified documents in offices of Biden? Hum... looks like a way to take the spot light off of Trump. I hope there are cameras to show who was in and out of that office.
When they found the second set I became more convinced that the documents were planted. I was never a conspiracy theorist, but these days I know anything can happen. Look at all the wasted energy there will be over this instead of in the trumpers where it belongs .... and pray that this doesn’t slow the justice department even further. It’s just the mess the Rs would pray for.
Biden is president and can get his hands on the most highly classified information inside the federal archives and elsewhere. He has no reason to stash old papers in a closet for years. Trump stole documents, refused to give them back. This is a non-story.