Joe Biden ‘surprised’ by classified documents discovery in his old office, vows cooperation
- Classified documents from Joe Biden’s time as vice-president found at an office he used at a Washington think tank
- Discovery draws comparisons to former president Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office
Biden told reporters at a joint news conference with the leaders of Mexico and Canada on Tuesday that he takes classified documents seriously. He said he did not know what was in the documents.
“We are cooperating fully with the review, which I hope will be finished soon,” Biden said.
A Democrat, Biden has faced criticism from Republicans after his Justice Department launched an investigation last year into Republican former president Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents discovered at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
The cases differ in several ways.
Biden’s lawyers discovered fewer than a dozen classified records inside the office at the think tank and informed the US National Archives of their discovery, turned over the materials, and said they were cooperating with the Archives and the Justice Department.