The FBI on Friday uncovered more classified documents while searching President Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Del.
Over the course of 13 hours, investigators found six items composed of records determined to be sensitive, Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal lawyer, said in a statement.
“DOJ took possession of materials it deemed within the scope of its inquiry, including six items consisting of documents with classification markings and surrounding materials, some of which were from the President's service in the Senate and some of which were from his tenure as Vice President. DOJ also took for further review personally handwritten notes from the vice-presidential years,” he said.
The president’s attorneys gave permission for the FBI search, which was carried out without a warrant or subpoena, people with knowledge of the situation told CNN. Bauer said Biden’s legal team offered to give the Department of Justice the opportunity to conduct a thorough survey of the premises for potential classified material.
Bauer said DOJ personnel screened many materials in the president’s home including “personally handwritten notes, files, papers, binders, memorabilia, to-do lists, schedules, and reminders going back decades.” Representatives of Biden’s personal legal team and the White House counsel's office were present for the search, Bauer said.
The Friday discovery comes after multiple sets of classified documents were previously found in Biden’s home in Wilmington, including in a storage space in Biden’s garage, White House lawyers said. In addition, a set of classified records from Biden's time as vice president was recovered by his lawyers on November 2 at the Penn Biden Center, a think tank in Washington, D.C. The center served as Biden's private office from 2017 to 2019.
Last week, after the garage documents were found, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Robert Hurr to probe Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents.
“The extraordinary circumstances here require the appointment of a special counsel for this matter,” Garland said in announcing the appointment.
Hur is conducting an inquiry into the “possible unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or other records discovered at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and the Wilmington, Delaware, private residence of President Joseph R. Biden Jr,” Garland added.
All presidential and vice-presidential materials must be delivered to the National Archives after the terms end under the Presidential Records Act.
On Thursday, Biden assured the public that he has nothing to hide amid the investigation. “I think you're going to find there's nothing there. I have no regrets. I'm following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do. That's exactly what we're doing, there's no there there,” he said.
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