Missouri Republicans push for information about Biden's classified documents, DOJ inquiry

Missouri's Republican members of Congress are demanding more information and a thorough investigation into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents.

Last week, revelations that the president had kept classified documents from his time as vice president at a private office in Washington and at his Delaware home spurred immediate fury among the GOP, who now control the U.S. House and see a potentially potent line of attack against the White House. The new investigation comes as the Department of Justice continues to look into former President Donald Trump's storage of boxes of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, which Republicans have widely opposed and urged the DOJ to treat the Biden case with similar scrutiny.

U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, a Republican in his first term in office, sent a letter Thursday to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding an investigation, hours before the DOJ formally announced one and appointed a special counsel. The letter was signed by more than 40 House Republicans, including Missouri's U.S. Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer and Eric Burlison.

"The fact that President Trump is being criminally investigated for mishandling classified documents, while President Biden is not receiving the same level of scrutiny for his mishandling of classified documents, leads us to believe that the Justice Department's investigation of President Trump is nothing more than a partisan and politically motivated attack on President Trump," Alford wrote. "For the reasons outlined above, we urge your response to this letter immediately."

From USA TODAY:Republicans want more information on Biden documents; Democrats say GOP defending Trump

The White House said it has turned over the documents in question and is cooperating with government authorities. The investigation into Trump, which includes the question of whether he obstructed justice, is continuing as the former president has repeatedly refused to turn over documents when requested.

Other Republican members have been similarly outspoken about the discovery. Burlison, another first-term congressman who represents southwest Missouri, said on social media that news outlets and "the left" were doing "mental gymnastics ... to ignore the Biden classified docs while simultaneously crucifying Trump."

The Show-Me State's two Republican senators have also weighed in, with U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley repeatedly commenting on Twitter as new documents were revealed throughout last week. U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt called Biden "the most compromised President in modern American history" in a series of posts last week.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MO Republicans push for more information on Biden docs investigation