WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said on Thursday (Jan 12) “a small number” of classified documents had been found at his private residence, prompting calls for a congressional investigation into the alleged mishandling of official papers.
The potentially embarrassing discovery for Biden came as authorities investigate a far bigger scandal involving his predecessor Donald Trump.
The documents dating to the Obama-Biden administration were found at Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, after other similar papers were found at a Washington think tank where Biden used to have an office.
Former president Trump hoarded huge numbers of documents at his Florida residence after leaving the White House in 2021, with the FBI carting away some 11,000 papers after serving a search warrant in August.
Trump could face obstruction of justice charges.
But the discovery of papers at Biden’s house is politically tricky for a president who touts his high ethical standards, and it could also complicate the Trump probe.
“People know I take classified documents and classified material seriously,” Biden told reporters Thursday.
“We’re cooperating fully (and) completely with the Justice Department’s review. As part of that process, my lawyers reviewed other places where documents from my time as vice president were stored, and they finished the review last night.
“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 … So we’re going see all this unfold,” he added, declining to take shouted questions from the press.
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