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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Sunday condemned President Joe Biden and his team’s handling of classified documents and announced in CNN’s “State of the Union address” that he is requesting additional information about the situation. .
A Kentucky Republican told CNN’s Jake Tupper, “I would never have known about possession of classified documents unless CBS investigative reporting somehow leaked and determined that this happened before the election. “So the administration has not been transparent about what is going on with President Biden’s possession of classified documents. I hope to be treated equally here with respect to how is treated.
In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein, Comer noted that the president’s aides searched Biden’s home and other locations for classified documents, and that the president’s Wilmington visit record I am looking for more documents and communications related to Delaware, home from January 20, 2021 to present.
The letter came the same day a special counsel was appointed to investigate the matter after a Biden aide discovered an additional five pages of classified material at his private residence in Wilmington on Thursday. The White House unveiled the findings on Saturday.
“It is troubling that classified documents have been improperly stored in President Biden’s home for at least six years, raising questions about who viewed or had access to the classified information,” Comer wrote in the letter. “As Chief of Staff, you are the head of the President’s executive branch and have a responsibility to be transparent with the American public on these important issues related to the White House’s handling of this matter. increase.”
Tupper asked Comer on Sunday if he cares more about the mishandling of classified documents when it concerns Democrats — a reference to the Republican Party’s response to Trump.Documents.
“Absolutely not,” Comer replied. “Look, we still don’t know what kind of documents President Trump had.”
“My concern is how former President Trump was treated by raiding Mar-a-Lago, obtaining security cameras, and taking pictures of papers on the floor. … It’s not an equal treatment.We are very concerned, and there is a lack of trust in the Justice Department by House Republicans.
Another special counsel has multiple accounts of Trump’s actions, from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election to his handling of classified data and sabotage that led to the FBI’s search for Mar-a-Lago. We are investigating.
Asked by Tupper on Sunday if he was accusing Biden or anyone on his team of breaking the law, Comer said, “We still don’t know exactly if they broke the law.”
“I accuse the Biden administration of lack of transparency. “Joe Biden said in his midterm election closing statements that the Republican Party is a threat to democracy, and he cited the fact that President Trump mishandled the documents.”
In September, Biden said on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that Trump’s handling of the documents was “totally irresponsible.”
Responding to a question about the images of classified documents on the floor of Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Biden replied: Anyone can be irresponsible.
In a separate interview on Sunday’s “State of the Union,” Maryland Rep. Jamie Ruskin, Comer’s Democratic counterpart on the House Oversight Committee, was asked about the speaker’s remarks.
Raskin told Tapper:
He agreed with Comer’s call for “equal treatment,” but argued that the Biden White House’s treatment of the discovery of classified documents represented a “very different attitude than we’ve seen with Donald Trump.” .
“People who say they had no problem with Donald Trump’s steadfast refusal to cooperate in handing over hundreds of classified documents were criticized for President Biden’s voluntary and swift handover of a handful of classified documents. It’s a little disturbing to me that they’re upset about the documents they found,” he said.
“I think it’s good that this is in the hands of special counsel on both sides, who are both good lawyers and who can get to the bottom of it,” Ruskin said. I got
South Carolina Rep. Jim Cliburn told MSNBC on Sunday that he wants the White House to cooperate with House Republicans in investigating Biden, but only if House Republicans investigate Trump.
He said, “Talking about investigating these issues involving Joe Biden and ignoring everything that happened with Donald Trump is ridiculous.
“I think everyone can see the big difference between Joe Biden being investigated and Donald Trump being investigated,” the South Carolina Democrat said, adding, “These two cases. It bears no resemblance to the
Cliburn said it was “appropriate” for Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel.
“But what we have to do is for these investigations to get to the bottom of it and move forward. There is no crime here that I can see,” he said.
CNN previously reported that classified materials found in Biden’s personal office included several top-secret documents designated as “classified compartmentalized information” used for highly sensitive information obtained from intelligence agencies. It reported that the file was included. Those documents included US intelligence memos and briefing materials covering topics such as Ukraine, Iran and the UK, according to sources familiar with the matter.
On Saturday, Biden’s personal lawyers tried to explain why he and other members of the president’s team have not fully disclosed the discovery of classified documents and records.
“The president’s personal counsel sought to balance the established norms and restrictions necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation with the importance of public transparency where necessary,” said Bob Bauer. “These considerations compel us to avoid disclosing details related to our ongoing investigation,” it said in a statement.
This article and headline have been updated.
