President Joe Biden made headlines this week after it was revealed that classified documents dating to his time as vice president were discovered in his office at the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.

However, questions have also arisen over why the University of Pennsylvania has received massive donations from anonymous Chinese donors. 

Nearly $55 million taken in

Breitbart cited a New York Post report published in April which noted that the school took in some $54.6 million worth of donations between 2014 and 2019.

Interestingly, much of that money came in after the school announced in February of 2017 that the Penn Biden Center would be established. Fox News reported last year that Biden was personally paid a total of $1 million by the University of Pennsylvania despite teaching no classes there.

What's more, a Washington Free Beacon article from August of 2020 detailed how $3 million came from Xu Xeuqing, a man described as having "no apparent connection to the University of Pennsylvania."

Rather, Xeuqing is said to have "close ties to the Chinese Communist Party," a fact which alarmed Ben Freeman, who serves as director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy.

"Even some of the contributions that we’re seeing ostensibly coming from Chinese businesses or Chinese charitable institutions, to some degree or another they are still connected to the Chinese government," Freeman explained.

Michael Sobolik is a fellow specializing in China at the American Foreign Policy Council, and he pointed to Xeuqing not being prosecuted following corruption allegations in 2011 as being evidence of government ties.

"Businessmen with high-level CCP connections can play by a different set of rules, as long as they are connected to the right Party faction," Sobolik said.

The attorney general appoints special counsel

Meanwhile, the controversy around Biden's storage of classified material was heightened following the discovery of yet more documents in Biden's Delaware garage.

Fox News reported on Thursday that Attorney General Merrick Garland had appointed former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur to serve as a special counsel in the matter.

"Earlier today, I signed an order appointing Robert Hur a special counsel for the matter I have just described," Fox News quoted Garland as saying.

"The document authorizes him to investigate whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter," the attorney general continued, adding, "The special counsel will not be subject to the day-to-day supervision of any official of the department, but he must comply with the regulations, procedures and policies of the department," he added.

"I am confident that Mr. Hur will carry out his responsibility in an even-handed and urgent manner and in accordance with the highest traditions of this department," Garland concluded.