President Biden and his team have decided to remain silent in response to the indictment of former President Trump on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and mishandling classified documents. While Biden has always maintained that he would never interfere with the independence of the Justice Department, he and his aides believe that commenting on the case would only fuel accusations of a politically motivated prosecution from Trump and his Republican allies. The strategy is meant to keep the focus on Trump and remind voters of the contrast between Biden’s pledge to restore normalcy to the White House and the chaos of the previous administration. Even in his meetings with reporters, Biden has remained tight-lipped, as any stray comment could be twisted to suggest that he is exerting undue influence in the case. The strategy, however, prevents Biden from defending the integrity of the legal system against Trump’s attacks. While White House and Biden campaign aides declined to respond to the former president’s claims of being treated unfairly, others will have to rebut those attacks. Biden himself is the subject of a special counsel’s investigation into the handling of classified documents found at his home and an office he used before becoming president. His attorneys argue that his case differs from Trump’s, and Biden and his aides have cooperated with officials from the beginning of the inquiry. A person familiar with the investigation into Biden’s handling of documents stated that no indication shows that Robert Hur, the special counsel in that case, is nearing any decision. Biden’s allies urge Democrats to remain calm and focus on promoting the president’s accomplishments in office, warning voters about Republican efforts to restrict abortion rights. Biden put his strategy into practice as he toured a work force training program at a community college in North Carolina while the special counsel unsealed the indictment against Trump, drawing national attention to the multiple charges against him. Asked whether he had talked to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland about the Trump case, Biden stated that he had not and added that he had no comment on the matter.
