The FBI searched the residence of US Vice President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday (local time), uncovered six additional documents with classified marks, and seized some of the President's notes, according to the President's attorney on Saturday.
Bob Bauer, the President's attorney, stated that the entire property was searched for almost 13 hours. The records with classification marks spanned Biden's time in the US Senate and his time as vice president, whereas the notes were from his time as vice president.
The search occurred more than a week after Biden's attorneys discovered six additional classified documents in the President's home library from his time as vice president and nearly three months after attorneys discovered a small number of classified records at his former offices at the Penn Biden Centre.
The document findings have caused a political nightmare for the President. They have hindered the Justice Department's investigation into former President Donald Trump's retention of sensitive documents and official records after he left office, as stated by Biden on Thursday.
"We discovered that a small number of documents were filed in the incorrect location," Biden said to reporters who questioned him on a tour of the storm damage in California. We promptly forwarded them to the Archives and the Department of Justice.
Biden stated that he was "fully cooperating and looking forward to swiftly resolving this matter."
The President and first wife, Jill Biden, were not present for the search of the residence. They spent the weekend at their Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, residence.
Bauer stated that the FBI requested that the White House refrain from commenting on the search before its execution and that Biden and White House counsel were there. He added that the FBI had complete access to the President's house, including handwritten notes, files, documents, binders, memorabilia, to-do lists, timetables, and reminders dating back decades.
The Justice Department, he noted, "took possession of materials it deemed relevant to its investigation, including six items consisting of documents with classification markings and surrounding materials, some from the President's time in the Senate and some from his time as Vice President."
Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed former Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert Hur as a special counsel to investigate any potential illegality involving the Biden documents.
Since the outset, the President has been committed to treating this matter professionally because he takes it seriously, according to White House lawyer Richard Sauber. "The President's attorneys and the White House Counsel's Office will continue to work with the Department of Justice and the Special Counsel to ensure that this proceeding is conducted expeditiously and effectively."
The Biden document revelations and the Trump inquiry conducted by special counsel Jack Smith are vastly distinct. The Justice Department claims that Trump took hundreds of secret records with him when he left the White House in early 2021 and delayed government requests for months. Biden has made a point of complying with the DOJ investigation at every stage, but doubts linger about his openness with the public.
