In Review: Biden Classified Documents Investigation
President Biden departs the White House as he walks to Marine One on November 10, 2022 en route to Egypt to attend the COP27 Summit (Andrew McKeough/AKSM Photography).
With the investigation underway, the President continues to put majority focus on his agenda while expressing his ongoing cooperation throughout the investigation.
Article by Alex Zimmerman, Deputy News Anchor
Greenville, Del. - In the first week of November, classified documents were found in President Biden’s office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C. Since then, additional classified documents were found in various locations. The President has expressed his cooperation in the investigation as the Department of Justice examines several documents related to the incident.
The timeline of the document findings to date is as follows:
November 2022
Biden’s private attorneys found confidential documents from nearly 10 years ago inside of the President's office in the Penn Biden Center, in D.C., while preparing to vacate out the office space prior to midterm elections. The lawyers immediately shared the findings with the National Archives, as the classified label deemed them unauthorized to be filed in the President's office. They were initially found inside a box of unclassified documents as the lawyers were prep the space to be vacated in coming months. The findings were not public knowledge until early January, when CBS News reported the discovery of the documents. The Justice Department had written a letter to the President’s lawyer, Bob Bauer, asking for cooperation and to cease further examination of the documents found. This implied a federal investigation would be the next step.
January 2023
Additional classified documents are discovered in a location near President Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware. These were found after the initial discovery was public knowledge. This time, the lawyers informed the Justice Department of the unauthorized possession of a small number of classified documents located in a garage on his Wilmington property.
President Biden signed off on the search of his personal property at the beginning of the investigation. More documents are found in a room adjacent to the garage and are under investigation with all other documentation.
The Department of Justice has unrestricted access to the President’s property, and is collecting all related documentation relevant to the scope of its inquiry. Some of the documentation under review includes letters from his time as Vice President to Barack Obama, according to three sources who have been briefed on the matter.
With the investigation underway, the President continues to put majority focus on his agenda while expressing his ongoing cooperation throughout the investigation. He has publicly noted his surprise of the discovery and misplacement of the classified documents. Change in the Chief of Staff is anticipated, as Ron Klain plans to step down in the coming weeks. Sources in Washington report former White House COVID coordinator, Jeff Zients, is likely to succeed Klain.