Top Republicans are calling for answers over President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents in the wake of reports that he may have mishandled the information after leaving the vice presidency.
In a letter sent to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Tuesday, Mike Turner (R-OH), the expected House Intelligence Committee chairman, called for “an immediate review and damage assessment” of the documents that were stored in an unsecure office, saying they could have negative repercussions for the country’s national security.
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“I write to request an immediate review and damage assessment following numerous reports that then Vice President Biden removed, and then retained highly classified information at an undisclosed and unsecure non-government office in Washington, D.C., for a period of at least six years. It has been reported that a portion of the materials at issue were marked ‘sensitive compartmented information,’ indicating the highest classification and most sensitive intelligence information in our government,” Turner wrote.
“This discovery of classified information would put President Biden in potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act. Those entrusted with access to classified information have a duty and an obligation to protect it. This issue demands a full and thorough review,” he said.
Turner said he believes it critical that they evaluate what information could have been compromised and should work with the appropriate entities to look into the matter.
“We request that you instruct the National Counterintelligence Executive, in consultation with the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community and other Inspectors General as appropriate, to conduct a damage assessment. In addition, we ask that you commit to providing, as soon as possible, this Committee with an appropriate classified briefing on the conduct of the damage assessment,” the Ohio Republican said.
CBS News reported on Monday that Biden’s lawyers found a “small number” of classified documents were found at the Penn Biden Center, leading some GOP lawmakers to argue it was hypocritical for Democrats to take aim at former President Donald Trump for the way he handled classified information after leaving office since Biden also may have mishandled the information.
Incoming House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) expressed similar concerns, telling reporters that he is “curious when [Democrats and the administration] really knew” about Biden’s handling of the information and questioned why “were lawyers packing boxes” when moving the information.
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) took aim at arguments that Biden shouldn’t be held to the same scrutiny as Trump because of the differences between the two situations. Biden’s lawyers turned over the materials, whereas the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago to obtain Trump’s documents.
“If then-Vice President Biden took classified documents with him, and held them for years, and criticized former President Trump during that same time that he had those classified documents … I wonder why the press isn’t asking the same questions of him,” he said.
