U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed two different special counsels to independently investigate the handling of classified records by Republican former U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic successor, President Joe Biden.
Jack Smith, a war crimes prosecutor, is investigating whether Trump or his associates improperly retained classified records at his Florida estate after he left office in 2021 and then tried to obstruct a federal investigation. Garland tapped Trump-era former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur for Maryland to investigate the removal and retention of classified records from Biden's time as vice president, and the discovery of them at his home and one-time office at a think tank.