Justice Department chief Merrick Garland has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate possible mishandling of President Joe Biden's classified documents after classified documents from Biden's vice presidency were found in his Delaware home as well as in his office at the Penn Biden think tank, the Voice of America reports.

The special prosecutor was Robert Hur, a former federal prosecutor in Maryland appointed to the position by the Trump administration. Robert Hur has been in private law practice in Washington, D.C., since 2021.

In announcing the appointment, Garland said he was confident the Justice Department could have conducted the investigation on its own, but extraordinary circumstances require the appointment of a special prosecutor on this matter.

The White House said it was prepared to cooperate fully with the special prosecutor's office.

At a press conference, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said the president was unaware that the documents in question were among his private papers and that as soon as they were discovered, Biden's private lawyers immediately alerted the National Archives and Justice Department to the discovery.