Washington DC, 13 January 2023 (TDI): A small number of classified & sensitive documents have been found at the United States (US) President Joe Biden’s residence in Delaware state.
The Files were turned over to the Department of Justice, confirmed by the White House. On Thursday, White House special Counsel Richard Sauber said, “Documents with classified markings that back to Biden’s time as Vice President have been found at his residence in Wilmington, Delaware”.
Sauber said that the Department of Justice was immediately notified and department lawyers took custody of the records. The administration is cooperating fully to ensure that the records are handled properly.
The White House Counsel said that nearly 10 documents have been found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and were handed over to relevant authorities.
Former US Attorney in Maryland, Robert Hur has been appointed as a special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of sensitive government documents.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said during a news conference on Thursday, “This appointment underscores for the public the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters, and to making decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law”.
Furthermore, he said, “I am confident that Hur will carry out his responsibility well and urgently and in accordance with the highest tradition of this department.”
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The discovery of classified documents comes after US media outlets reported that classified files were uncovered in November at his farmer’s office at a think tank in Washington DC.
Trump’s Violation of the Espionage Act
Former President Donald Trump had also kept thousands of government records, some of which were classified, and did not return them immediately and willingly when his term ended.
In August 2022 the FBI raided his residence at Mar-a-Lago and found 11 sets of classified materials while investigating possible Espionage Act violations.
Biden’s Response
In the case of President Biden’s discovery of classified documents, Jean-Pierre, White the House Press Secretary added that President is not aware of the records that were there.
He was surprised that the records were found. Furthermore, she said, “The President’s lawyers have been cooperating fully”.
President Biden also responded to the media on Thursday when asked about classified documents. He said, “People know that I take seriously classified materials and my administration is cooperating fully with the Department of Justice”.
Republican Response
The top Republican has also requested House Intelligence Committee to conduct a damage assessment of potentially classified documents. Kevin McCarthy, House Speaker also responded, “I think Congress has to investigate this”.
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