President Joe Biden defended storing the Obama-era documents recently found at a storage space in the garage of his home in Delaware, saying that "it's not like they're sitting in the street."
On Thursday, during a speech on the economy and ongoing inflation, Biden was asked by reporters about the second set of classified documents found in his possession.
"I'm gonna get a chance to speak on all of this, God-willing soon...by the way my corvette's in a locked garage, okay? So, it's not like they're sitting in the street," Biden responded. "But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified materials seriously."
Earlier in the day, the White House confirmed that documents were found at his private residence in Wilmington. The news came just days after Biden's special counsel announced that an earlier batch of confidential records was discovered on November 2—less than a week before the midterm elections—at an office previously used by Biden.
On Tuesday, Biden told reporters that he was "surprised" to learn that his lawyers found the government documents in his former office at the think tank Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.
He reiterated on Thursday that his team and lawyers are "cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department's review," which is how the second batch of documents was discovered at his home.
"They finished the review last night," Biden said. "They discovered a small number of documents with classified markings in storage areas and filing cabinets in my home and personal library."
He added that the Department of Justice was notified immediately and that his attorneys immediately arranged for authorities to take possession of the documents.
"We're going to see all this unfold," he said.
The discovery of government documents in Biden's possession bears some resemblance to the Mar-a-Lago raid from August when FBI agents descended upon former President Donald Trump's Florida home and obtained cartons of classified records.
Biden's team has tried to differentiate the two cases by citing the "small number" of documents involved in his case and pointing to the speed at which the president willingly handed over those records to the National Archives and Records Administration.
However, Trump and other Republicans have seized on the developments and raised questions about whether federal agencies have set a double standard in addressing the mishandling of government records.
On Tuesday, the former president took to Truth Social to ask, "Why didn't the 'Justice' Department announce the Highly Classified documents found in the Biden Office before the Election?"
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
