More classified documents found at Biden’s Wilmington home, in garage, White House special counsel says
Written by ABC AUDIO on January 12, 2023
(WASHINGTON) — The White House confirmed Thursday that more classified documents from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president were found in the garage of his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
Asked about the discovery after remarks on the economy Thursday morning, Biden appeared to downplay the security risks.
“I’m gonna get a chance to speak on all this — God willing — soon. But as I said earlier this week, people, and by the way, my Corvette’s in a locked garage,” Biden said. “So, it’s not like it’s sitting on the street.”
“But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously. I also said we’re cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department’s review. As part of that process, my lawyers reviewed other places where documents in my — from my time as vice president were stored and they finished the review last night,” Biden continued, echoing an earlier White House statement. “They discovered a small number of documents with classified markings in storage areas and file cabinets in my home and my personal library.”
“The Department of Justice was immediately notified, and the lawyers arranged for the Department of Justice to take possession of the documents,” he said.
Biden’s comments came on the heels of a statement from the White House special counsel dealing with the matter.
“Following the discovery of government documents at the Penn Biden Center in November 2022, and coordinating closely with the Department of Justice, the President’s lawyers have searched the President’s Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, residences – the other locations where files from his Vice-Presidential office might have been shipped in the course of the 2017 transition. The lawyers completed that review last night,” Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, said in a statement.
“During the review, the lawyers discovered among personal and political papers a small number of additional Obama-Biden Administration records with classified markings. All but one of these documents were found in storage space in the President’s Wilmington residence garage,” he said. “One document consisting of one page was discovered among stored materials in an adjacent room.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland is scheduled to make a statement at 1:15 p.m. ET. It’s unclear whether he will speak about the documents matter.
The revelation that classified documents were kept at a Biden personal office in Washington, and now, at his private residence in Wilmington, have raised questions about how Biden’s situation compares with the classified documents seized at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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