Did Merrick Garland Just Doom Joe Biden’s 2024 Campaign?
Garland #Garland
President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection are facing a new challenge, this time from one of his own administration officials, Attorney General Merrick Garland.
On Thursday, Garland appointed Robert Hur to serve as the special counsel overseeing the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation into classified documents found in Biden’s possession.
Twice this week, the White House revealed that Obama-era records were discovered—the first batch at a think-tank office formerly used by Biden and the second in the garage at his Delaware residence.
While the discovery of the documents—and the revelations that they were found in November and December—have prompted fresh criticism of Biden and federal law enforcement agencies, the decision to appoint a special counsel has elevated the situation to another level.
“The appointment of a special counsel is never good news for any sitting president,” political strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek.
Klink said that while the appointment won’t impact the 2024 presidential race based on what we known now, “special counsel investigations have a way of growing once they are initiated and the attorney general will likely be hands-off.”
Without knowing what might come from the investigation, it will be difficult to determine how a Biden 2024 campaign may unfold. Experts told Newsweek that there will be a number of factors that decide whether or not Garland’s appointment of a special counsel will derail a second Biden term.
For one, the longer the probe continues, the more political damage it could do for Biden, Democratic strategist Michael Gordon said. However, if the matter is resolved quickly, it could absolve Biden early enough in the election cycle that it wouldn’t create an impassable obstacle for his re-election campaign.
While the probe could wrap faster than anticipated, such investigations are not typically short affairs, which means there might still be the risk of leaks that could encourage other Democrats to throw their hat in the ring and challenge Biden for the 2024 nomination.
Gordon said this could be especially true depending on who ends up being the front-runner for the Republican nomination. While former President Donald Trump is the only GOP candidate to formally announced his bid so far, many have speculated that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis might also run.
Although the party is generally optimistic about Biden’s chances against Trump, Democrats are wary about a DeSantis face-off, and those fears could give rise to a Biden alternative.
If Biden ends up running against Trump in 2024, the DOJ’s special counsel investigation might not mean much. In fact, the juxtaposition between the two and their respective classified documents probes could “further remind 2024 voters of the 2020 election and the damage Trump did in the wake of his loss,” political strategist Michael Hopkins told Newsweek.
Garland Appoints Special Council To Investigate Biden Classified Documents
SHARE
SHARE
TWEET
SHARE
What to watch next
Battle for Ukraine salt mining town Soledar intensifies, Russia says city under control
USA TODAY
Former Trump official says she’s ‘stunned’ about errors Biden’s team made
CNN
Rep. George Santos Says He Will Address Allegations ‘Soon’
The Wall Street Journal
Biden Does Not Know What’s In Classified Documents: White House
Newsweek
Who is Robert Hur? Biden Documents Get Trump Appointed Special Counsel
Newsweek
When Do Legal Rights Begin?
Bloomberg
‘I think I had too much power as Speaker’: Paul Ryan reflects on House Speaker role
CNN
Donna Edwards on Santos: ‘No member of Congress should sign on to do legislation with him’
MSNBC
‘He’s a proven loser’: Paul Ryan on Trump’s future in the Republican Party
CNN
Garland names special counsel in Biden docs probe to ‘underscore DOJ’s devotion to the facts’
MSNBC
AP Top Stories January 12 P
The Associated Press
Toomey on the State of the GOP
Bloomberg
Scott Eizember Executed In Oklahoma For Killing Elderly Couple
Newsweek
Special counsel Robert Hur appointed in Biden documents investigation
CBS News
Former Trump official says she’s ‘stunned’ about errors Biden’s team made
CNN
Storms wash out highway in Ventura County, California
CBS News
Click to expand
UP NEXT
Trump is facing his own special counsel investigation for the more than 300 classified documents found and seized from his Mar-a-Lago home in August. Hopkins said that the difference between Biden’s case and Trump’s case would actually help Biden in 2024.
At the same time, former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis told Newsweek that the DOJ probe could be “pretext to force Biden to not run in 2024 or even resign.” She said she believes Democrats would be willing to let Biden “fall on sword” in order to block Trump’s 2024 chances.
On the other hand, if it ends up being Biden vs DeSantis, Gordon said, the DOJ probe into the sitting president “will be the Hillary Clinton e-mails story of next year.”
Klink added that comparisons to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could be exacerbated should federal investigators find additional documents in Biden’s possession.
He said new revelations “will raise calls as to just how pervasive the mishandling of classified documents has become by former elected officials—Hillary Clinton’s servers to Trump’s Florida residence to Biden’s temporary office and Delaware residence.”
Political strategist Jay Townsend told Newsweek that while Thursday’s announcement is “a major embarrassment” for Biden, it might not alone derail his 2024 campaign. What it could do, though, is undermine the DOJ’s case against Trump.
Klink agreed, saying it not only raises the stakes for Garland and the Biden administration but distract “the entire administration from its messaging.”
Update 01/12/23 5:14 p.m. This story was updated with comments from Ellis.
Related Articles
Start your unlimited Newsweek trial