US Federal Police (FBI) raided the home of President Joe Biden in Delaware on Friday and found six documents containing classification marks and also took possession of some of his notes, the attorney for the office said on Saturday. president.
Bob Bauer, the president’s personal attorney, said the search of the entire premises lasted nearly 13 hours.
The documents with classification marks are from when Biden was in the Senate and vice president, while the notes are from when he was vice president. The search comes more than a week after lawyers for Mr. Biden found six other classified documents in the president’s library since he was vice president, and nearly three months after lawyers found a small number of classified documents in his former offices at the Penn Biden Center in Washington.
Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were not at home during the search. They spend the weekend at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Bauer said the FBI asked the White House not to comment on the search before it was conducted. He said the FBI “has full access to the president’s home, including personal handwritten notes, files, papers, filing cabinets, memorabilia, to-do lists, schedules, and reminders dating back decades.” .
He added that the Justice Department “has taken possession of documents that it determined to be relevant to its investigation, including six items consisting of documents with classification marks and surrounding material, some of which were from the President’s service in the Senate and others from his tenure as Vice President”.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Robert Hur, a former U.S. Attorney in Maryland, as special counsel to investigate any potential wrongdoing related to Mr. Biden’s documents.
“From the beginning, the president has been committed to handling this responsibly because he takes this seriously,” White House lawyer Richard Sauber said on Saturday. The President’s attorneys and the White House Counsel’s Office will continue to cooperate with the [département de la Justice] and the special advocate to help ensure this process goes quickly and efficiently. »