The US justice system this week found another six confidential documents during a search of Joe Biden’s family residence in Delaware, in a particularly uncomfortable new discovery for the Democratic president.
The Justice Department “took possession of materials it considered to be within the scope of its investigation, including six (…) classified documents,” the president’s personal attorney, Bob Bauer, said in a statement Saturday.
According to the lawyer, the documents date from the time when Biden was a senator from Delaware, and from his tenure as vice president of Barack Obama (2009-2017).
Particularly awkward for the White House, the case began on January 9 when the president’s lawyers acknowledged that confidential documents had been found at a Washington think tank where Biden used to have an office.
Three days later, the Democratic president acknowledged that other sensitive files were found at his family residence in Wilmington, Delaware.
Under a 1978 law, US presidents and vice presidents must transmit all of their emails, letters and other employment documents to the National Archives.
Which represents a thorny issue for the 80-year-old president, who plans to run for re-election in 2024.
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A few days ago, during a trip to California, Biden tried to downplay the case.
“Listen, we found some documents (…) that were stored in the wrong place, we immediately handed them over to the Archives and the Ministry of Justice,” Trump told reporters.
“I don’t regret anything,” he added.
His lawyers assure that it was a simple oversight of the 46th president of the United States, and that he has fully cooperated with the Justice.
The objective of the White House is clear: to differentiate itself as much as possible from former President Donald Trump, who has also declared himself a candidate to occupy the White House again.
The billionaire is being investigated for taking several boxes with confidential documents to his residence in Florida.
Although the two cases are not entirely comparable, the issue remains sensitive for Biden, who often presents himself as a politician with high ethical standards.
The Justice Department has turned both cases over to special prosecutors to avoid any charges of bias.