Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
Biden aides find second batch of classified documents at new location
On Monday, the White House acknowledged a "small number" of classified documents had been found in an office Biden used.
By Carol E. Lee and Ken Dilanian
WASHINGTON — Aides to President Joe Biden have discovered at least one additional batch of classified documents in a location separate from the Washington office he used after leaving the Obama administration, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Since November, after the discovery of documents with classified markings in his former office, Biden aides have been searching for any additional classified materials that might be in other locations he used, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details about the ongoing inquiry.
The White House did not reply to a request for comment. The Justice Department had no comment.
The initial discovery of classified documents in an office used by Biden after his vice presidency was first reported on Monday by CBS News.
The classification level, number and precise location of the additional documents was not immediately clear. It also was not immediately clear when the additional documents were discovered and if the search for any other classified materials Biden may have from the Obama administration is complete.
Biden aides have been sifting through documents stored at locations beyond his former Washington office to determine if there are any other classified documents that need to be turned over to the National Archives and reviewed by the Justice Department, the person familiar with the matter said.
The search was described as exhaustive, with the goal of getting a full accounting of all classified documents that may have inadvertently been packed in boxes when Biden cleared out of the vice president’s office space in January 2017.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., reacted on social media minutes after the NBC News report on the new documents, tweeting out the words "Special counsel."
The White House on Monday issued a statement confirming that a “small number of documents” with classified markings that appeared to be from the Obama administration had been found at a Washington think tank tied to Biden on Nov. 2.
The documents were discovered in a locked closet by Biden’s attorneys while they prepared to vacate office space at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, said in a statement Monday.
The University of Pennsylvania had leased a suite of offices for the center in February 2018, including one for then-private citizen Biden’s personal use when he was in Washington.
Biden told reporters Tuesday that he was "surprised" by the discovery, and that he didn't know what was in the documents.
CONTINUE HERE: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-aides-find-second-batch-classified-documents-new-location-rcna65371?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
