Biden’s Top Lawyer to Depart White House as Probes Ramp Up

Joe Biden’s top White House lawyer is preparing to depart his role, shaking up the counsel’s office as probes into the president’s handling of classified documents and his son’s business dealings are intensifying.

Stuart Delery, who has served as White House counsel since last summer, is planning to leave the role shortly, Biden said in a statement Thursday. The administration did not announce a successor.

“From his work during those early days on COVID-19 and efforts to get life-saving vaccines to the American public to the implementation of major legislative accomplishments such as the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, he has been an integral part of my team and will be missed throughout the Administration,” Biden said in a statement.

Delery, the first openly gay person to serve as the White House’s top lawyer, worked in the building since the beginning of the administration and took over last year after the departure of Dana Remus.

His tenure included handling Republican investigations into the administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and its border policies. He also played an integral part in crafting the administration’s student debt cancellation plan, which was ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court.

But his departure comes just days after the Department of Justice announced it was naming a special counsel to investigate Biden’s son, Hunter. Investigators have been examining business deals Hunter made with foreign individuals during his father’s tenure as vice president.

The Justice Department has also been investigating the discovery of classified documents at the private office Biden kept between his time leaving the vice presidency and being elected president.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Mario Parker at mparker22@bloomberg.net

Meghashyam Mali, Magan Crane

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