Documents

There have been many cases where people were prosecuted for having classified documents or information in their possession. One case that made the news was a sailor who took pictures of the nuclear sub he was stationed on. While the Justice department routinely prosecuted misuse of classified documents there have been some high profile cases in recent history. Since 2005, the FBI and the Justice Department have launched at least 11 such investigations, some targeting high-profile former U.S. officials, including a former national security adviser and a former CIA director. Here are a couple of recent examples. April 2005 – Former U.S. national security adviser Sandy Berger pleaded guilty to knowingly removing classified documents from the National Archives and Records Administration and he paid a $50,000 fine and lost his security clearance. March 2015 – Retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus, a former CIA director, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material Petraeus was sentenced to two years of probation and a $100,000 fine. Presidents have wider privileges but Biden has documents he removed as vice president and senator and each document is a felony. We often hear about equal justice under the law and no man is above the law but that is not the case with Biden. Here is a quote from Biden. My administration will continue to do the hard work to ensure that equal justice under law is not just a phrase emblazoned in stone above the Supreme Court, but a reality for all Americans.