With a Democratic president in the legal crosshairs, an outrageous prosecutorial double standard is about to make a comeback.

‘How that could possibly happen, how one — anyone could be that irresponsible.” That was just the beginning of Joe Biden’s bristling condemnation of his predecessor, Donald Trump. When he learned of the former president’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Biden told 60 Minutes that he became deeply worried that there could be “data” in these highly secret intelligence files “that may compromise sources and methods. By that, I mean, names of people helped or et cetera.”

In this, he sounded like his old self — which is to say, like Senator Joe Biden circa 1977, who tanked President Jimmy Carter’s nomination of Ted Sorensen to be CIA director. Sorensen had mishandled classified documents, retaining them in his home without authorization. How could we expect to hold intelligence agencies accountable, Senator Biden wondered aloud, if the boss wasn’t held accountable?

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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‘How that could possibly happen, how one — anyone could be that irresponsible.” That was just the beginning of Joe Biden’s bristling condemnation of his predecessor, Donald Trump. When he learned of the former president’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Biden told 60 Minutes that he became deeply worried that there could be “data” in these highly secret intelligence files “that may compromise sources and methods. By that, I mean, names of people helped or et cetera.”

In this, he sounded like his old self — which is to say, like Senator Joe Biden circa 1977, who tanked President Jimmy Carter’s nomination of Ted Sorensen to be CIA director. Sorensen had mishandled classified documents, retaining them in his home without authorization. How could we expect to hold intelligence agencies accountable, Senator Biden wondered aloud, if the boss wasn’t held accountable?

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.