Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Robert Hur as the special counsel that will investigate the discovery of classified materials that may have been mishandled following President Biden’s time as vice president.

Who is Robert Hur?

Hur, a Harvard and Stanford graduate, was nominated in 2017 by then-President Trump to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland and confirmed the following year, making him the chief federal law enforcement officer in the state. He resigned from the post in early 2021. 

Before the appointment, Hur, 50, was an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. He prosecuted gang violence, drug trafficking and firearm offenses, as well as financial crimes. 

His history in federal law enforcement extends to his time as a special assistant and counsel for then-Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray, who was in charge of the Justice Department’s criminal division.

He was also a clerk for former Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

His private sector experience includes working as a partner in the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Hur’s time in Maryland saw a number of high-profile federal prosecutions, including the likes of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa and state Del. Cheryl Glenn getting charged and convicted.

“U.S. Attorney Hur has been a great and effective partner at holding violent offenders accountable, especially with his work in addressing gang violence and intimidation,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said in a statement when Hur stepped down.

Hur is a recipient of the attorney general’s Distinguished Service Award, which is giving for superior performance and excellence as a lawyer.

Outgoing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) appointed Hur to the state’s University System of Maryland Board of Regents, which oversees the system’s operations.

Also in Maryland, Hur is the chair of the Asian American Hate Crimes Workgroup, which was formed by Hogan to develop strategies to address rising violence and discrimination against Asian Americans.

“Former Maryland US Attorney Rob Hur is a prosecutor of the highest caliber and integrity,” Hogan said on Twitter after Garland’s announcement. “I have faith in his ability to get the facts and hold power to account.”

‘Extraordinary circumstances’

Garland made the announcement after a second batch of classified documents was found in the garage of Biden’s Wilmington, Del., residence.

“The extraordinary circumstances here require the appointment of a special counsel for this matter,” Garland said.

“This appointment underscores for the public the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”

Classified documents were first discovered in early November at an office Biden used after the Obama administration, with Biden attorneys notifying the National Archives and the Justice Department of the matter on Nov. 4.

“As the President said, he takes classified information and materials seriously, and as we have said, we have cooperated from the moment we informed the Archives that a small number of documents were found, and we will continue to cooperate. We have cooperated closely with the Justice Department throughout its review, and we will continue that cooperation with the Special Counsel,” Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, said in a statement. 

“We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake.” 

The Justice Department has also appointed a special counsel to oversee the investigation into Trump’s mishandling of records after some 300 records bearing classified markings were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago residence. 

Updated at 4:17 p.m.