US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed an independent prosecutor to investigate classified documents found in Joe Biden’s former office and private residence, AFP and Reuters reported.

“I have signed a document appointing Robert Goure as special prosecutor,” which “authorizes him to investigate any person or entity that may have violated the law” in this case, he said in a brief speech.

Garland’s announcement came hours after a White House lawyer said Thursday that Biden’s legal team had found a second set of classified documents from his time as vice president in storage at his home in Delaware.

On Monday, the White House announced that classified documents from his time as vice president were discovered in November at a Washington think tank.

Special prosecutors are sometimes appointed to investigate politically sensitive cases and carry out their duties with some degree of independence from the leadership of the Justice Department, including Garland, who was appointed by Biden.

Sometimes, but not always, they initiate criminal cases.

In November, Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into Donald Trump, including the former Republican president’s handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump, whom Biden defeated in 2020, announced in November his intention to run for president in 2024.

• On the same topic: What does Biden risk after discovering the incriminating documents? Differences between Trump and Biden

What is the Penn Biden Center?

The Penn Biden Center organization offers the University of Pennsylvania, which is based in Philadelphia, an office in the nation’s capital.

Joe Biden used the organization’s office space from mid-2017 until the spring of 2019, when he announced his candidacy for president.

Opened in 2018, the think tank hosts academic programs and events dedicated to foreign policy.

The Center’s sixth-floor offices are located right at the base of the Capitol, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of Congress, CBS News reported.

The Center’s staff is largely made up of former Obama administration officials, many of whom left the Center to later serve in the Biden administration. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, for example, was the Center’s managing director in 2018. Steve Ricchetti, now a senior adviser to Joe Biden in the White House, served as the Center’s managing director in 2019.

The University of Pennsylvania named Joe Biden the Benjamin Franklin Professor of Presidential Practice in 2017 and paid him $917,643 to speak and direct the Benjamin Franklin Center between 2017 and 2019, according to the president’s financial records. For the time being, he has suspended his activities at the university, being on leave.

Joe Biden’s ties to the University of Pennsylvania run deep. His late son Beau and granddaughter Naomi received their bachelor’s degrees from this university. Biden’s daughter, Ashley, received her master’s degree from Penn, and his granddaughter, Natalie, is currently studying there.

When Biden was vice president, he launched the Obama administration’s “Cancer Moonshot” program at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016.

The president discussed how he handles classified information at home during a question-and-answer session with reporters last August.

“I have a hidden camera at home that is fully secured. I’m taking it home with me today (the presidential daily file). It’s sealed. I have one person with me – a military man. I read it, locked it and give it to the military,” the president said. Asked if it was appropriate for the president to bring classified materials home, Biden said, “It depends on the document and how secure the room is.”