Joe Biden said Tuesday that he was surprised by the discovery of classified documents in an office he used during his time as vice president under Barack Obama.
During his visit to Mexico City, where the president attended the North American Leaders' Summit, Biden assured that he did not know the contents of the documents that appeared in the Washington office he used while he was an honorary professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The president noted that he is "fully cooperating" with the investigation.
People know I take classified documents, classified information very seriously.
Biden reads a script to address the classified documents found in his office:
"People know I take classified documents, classified information very seriously...I was surprised to learn there were any gov't records that were taken there...I don't know what is in the documents." pic.twitter.com/9d3hnBOY7H
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) January 10, 2023
The finding occurred before the midterm elections and was briefly covered up by the president's lawyers. At least ten confidential documents that should have been kept in the National Archives were found in Biden's office in the private quarters of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, a private entity of the president connected to the University of Pennsylvania.
According to sources from CNN, the classified documents include intelligence memos and briefing materials on Ukraine, Iran and the United Kingdom. The Republican Party is calling for a thorough investigation on this potentially sensitive information. The Department of Justice is currently reviewing all documentation.
The case is reminiscent of the seizure of classified material at former President Donald Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago. In fact, Trump demanded after the news broke that the FBI conduct searches of President Biden's multiple residences for possible classified material. Some legal analysts believe that the discovery in Biden's office could provide judicial relief for former President Trump in the Mar-a-Lago case.
