Law
February 2, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Once upon a time the contents of Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop were deemed akin to Russian “disinformation” by former law enforcement and national security authorities, candidate Joe Biden, and the media regurgitating the party line on Biden’s behalf. Anyone with an ounce of sense could see the party line a fairy tale, to put it kindly. Now lawyers representing Hunter Biden seek criminal investigations of those involved in the dissemination
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February 1, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Yesterday CBS News reported that the FBI searched the Penn Biden Center offices in mid-November, according to “two sources familiar with the investigation,” after lawyers for President Biden had found about 10 documents marked classified there on Nov. 2. It is not clear why the White House has not disclosed the search. It is not clear when the search occurred. It is not clear whether additional classified documents were seized.
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January 28, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Three recordings related to David DePape’s October 28 break-in at the Pelosi residence in San Francisco were released yesterday. The judge overseeing the state criminal case against DePape ordered the release of the tapes on the petition of a consortium of media outlets over the objection of the parties. Picked up by Capitol Police surveillance video, the first of the three recordings depicts DePape’s battering glass to make his way
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January 26, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Minneapolis attorney Marshall Tanick has taken a look at the issues raised in the Minnesota Court of Appeals hearing on the murder conviction of Derek Chauvin. Marshall discusses the hearing in the Star Tribune op-ed column “Did Chauvin get a fair trial?” I wrote about the hearing here last week. Marshall more or less provides a second opinion that aligns with mine, if somewhat faintly: [T]he core of the argument
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January 25, 2023 — Scott Johnson
As President Biden has thrown a lifeline to President Trump in the matter of possession of classified documents, former Vice President Mike Pence has thrown a lifeline to Biden. Lawyers representing Pence discovered “a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported” to Pence’s new home in Carmel, Indiana. CNN reports on the discovery here, the AP here, the Wall Street Journal here. Pence attorney
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January 24, 2023 — Scott Johnson
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took a few questions on the Biden classified documents matter at yesterday’s briefing (White House transcript here). The New York Post covers this aspect of the briefing here. KJP performed a few golden oldies. For example: “I’m going to continue to be prudent from here. I’m going to be — continued to be consistent and make sure that those questions go to my colleagues
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January 23, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Today’s New York Post takes up the Biden classified documents matter in an editorial and in Miranda Devine’s column. The editorial makes a few basic points that I have omitted to make in following the matter: The available evidence now suggests he was carting off government secrets at least since he was a spry 68. To us, that looks more like “incredibly reckless.” By the way, we also still don’t
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January 22, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I think we may be moving beyond the “no there there” stage of the Biden classified documents matter. We don’t know how many documents are involved or what they are, but their diverse locations are suggestive of gross negligence. The Daily Mail now reports “EXCLUSIVE: Biden classified files were sent to ANOTHER D.C. location before they were stored at think tank – by team led by aide who’d been recommended
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January 22, 2023 — Scott Johnson
On Friday President Biden declared that there was “no there there” in the matter of his illegal possession of classified documents. This after the discovery of three or four such sets of docs in low places including the detached garage housing his Corvette at his Wilmington residence. Last night news broke that yet another set of classified documents was found at Biden’s Wilmington home — this set including documents that
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January 20, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Unlike White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre, President Biden did not refer reporters seeking comment on his retention of classified documents in his Wilmington garage and other unauthorized locations to the White House Counsel or to the Department of Justice. He found himself innocent of any misconduct. He told reporters: “I think you’re going to find there’s nothing there.” (For “you” read Special Counsel Robert Hur.) Speaking to reporters accompanying
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January 19, 2023 — Scott Johnson
No one “familiar with the matter” delivered the goods in Andrew Kerr’s Washington Free Beacon story “Photos Place Hunter Biden in Corvette at Site of Classified Docs in July 2017.” No, Kerr’s story is based on photos and other information extracted from Hunter Biden’s laptop. The photos demonstrate the security issues raised by President Biden’s storage of classified documents at his Wilmington residence and in the garage there. The story
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January 18, 2023 — Scott Johnson
When I read that Derek Chauvin had no lawyer to appeal his murder conviction to the Minnesota Court of Appeals I was incredulous. I put out the call on Power Line for an attorney to step forward to represent him on appeal in the highest tradition of the profession. Minnesota attorney Bill Mohrman answered the call. Bill is a founding partner of Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson as well as a
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January 18, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Everything we know in the Biden classified documents matter derives from Biden’s attorneys. In other words, it is inherently unreliable. The existence of the matter was leaked by unidentified sources. Attorney General Garland has since publicly appointed a Special Counsel and more classified documents have been discovered in Biden’s Corvette garage and elsewhere. Mysteries abound. Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published a story explaining the role of Biden’s lawyers based
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January 17, 2023 — Scott Johnson
The Biden administration observed the MLK Day holiday yesterday by refraining from disclosure of any facts concerning the classified documents discovered in Biden’s possession in locations including the garage of his Wilmington residence. Actually, every day has been a holiday in this sense since the leak letting the world know “how irresponsible” Biden has been, to borrow his judgment on President Trump. Last week we learned that Biden had retained
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January 15, 2023 — Scott Johnson
The morning of September 9, 2004, I called John Hinderaker and asked him to help me review the emails with which we were inundated following my “Sixty-First Minute” post. John scrolled through the emails and called me back half an hour later. “60 Minutes is toast,” he told me. John’s formulation returns to mind in connection with the revelations regarding Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents following his exit from
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January 14, 2023 — Scott Johnson
The White House has just announced that six more classified documents were discovered at the Wilmington house this week. They have been turned over to the Department of Justice, according to the statement released by Biden special assistant Ian Sams reported here by Politico. Politico quotes Sams’s sketchy statement: The president’s lawyers have acted immediately and voluntarily to provide the Penn Biden documents to the Archives and the Wilmington documents
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January 13, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Today’s New York Post cover is something of a classic. It flags Steven Nelson’s story “Classified Biden docs found in his Delaware garage next to Corvette.” The story includes photos of Biden in his ‘vette, including the one on the cover with the garage door open. How secure can you get? In my comments on the breaking news yesterday afternoon I noted Biden’s assertion that the garage is locked and,
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