Biden news: President makes first response to classified papers trove as GOP accused Dems of hypocrisy

Discovery of documents cast a shadow over Biden’s visit to Mexico City for three-day summit with counterparts Trudeau and López Obrador

Biden visits U.S.-Mexico border amidst migrant crisis

President Joe Biden’s visit to Mexico was shrouded by news that classified documents from his time as vice president were discovered at a think tank in Washington DC.

After initially dodging questions on the classified papers, the president addressed the issue on Tuesday, saying that he was “surprised” by the find.

“I was surprised to learn there were any government records that were taken there to that office,” he said, adding that he doesn’t know what the documents contain.

Mr Biden’s attorneys confirmed on Monday that they had found the government materials in a private office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in November.

The documents were immediately handed over to the National Archives and the Justice Department launched an investigation.

At least some of the materials are said to include intelligence memos regarding Iran, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and other topics, reported CNN.

The revelation about the documents comes amid a a three-day trip to Mexico where Mr Biden has held meetings with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Mr Biden praised Mr Trudeau for his support and cooperation with the US on international affairs.

“I want to thank you again. You’ve always been there whenever I call, you pick up the phone,” he said.

Key points

• Classified Obama-Biden papers found at think tank, prompting DOJ probe
• Abbott says Biden ‘noncommittal’ on border policy changes
• Biden to meet López Obrador and Justin Trudeau in Mexico today
• Biden takes first presidential trip to US-Mexico border
• Biden and Lula speak after Jan 6-style insurrection rocks Brazil

[10 January 2023 06:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Calls for C-SPAN to control cameras in House

Just after midnight on Saturday, Kevin McCarthy was finally elected speaker of the House by his Republican colleagues, after an astounding 14 previous unsuccessful rounds of voting. The incident not only put a spotlight on the division and dysfunction within the GOP.

It also, after numerous, drawn-out, dramatic votes, highlighted how rare it is for the public to actually watch the work of Congress live, inspiring calls to give C-SPAN more control over its cameras inside the House.

As the House struggled to get its normal business underway, cameras from C-SPAN, the nonprofit public affairs network backed by large cable companies, caught all kinds of notable scenes.

Josh Marcus reports.

[10 January 2023 08:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

New Netanyahu government presents Biden with Israel quandary

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government is little more than a week old but it’s already giving the Biden administration headaches.

Just days into its mandate, a controversial member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Cabinet riled US diplomats with a visit to a Jerusalem holy site that some believe may be harbinger of other contentious moves, including vast expansions of Jewish settlement construction on land claimed by the Palestinians.

And, Netanyahu’s government adopted punitive measures against the Palestinians that run in direct opposition to several recent Biden moves to boost US-Palestinian relations, including restoring assistance to the Palestinian Authority that had been cut during the Trump administration and allowing Palestinian officials to visit the US.

[10 January 2023 10:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Is Kevin McCarthy a weakened leader or emboldened survivor?

Republican Kevin McCarthy is the new House speaker, but as bruising as it was for him to seize the gavel in a history-making election, it may be even more difficult for the embattled leader to do much with the powerful position — or to even keep it.

[10 January 2023 11:00 · Rachel Sharp]

Everything we know so far about classified Biden documents found at think tank

Attorney General Merrick Garland has advised the US attorney in Chicago to review a number of potentially classified documents taken from the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington DC — including potentially classfied documents from President Joe Biden’s vice presidential office.

Here’s everything we know so far:

[10 January 2023 11:30 · Rachel Sharp]

Trump rages after classified Obama-Biden docs found at think tank

Former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump fumed on Monday evening after a CBS News report said that potentially classified documents were discovered at a Washington DC think tank by President Joe Biden’s personal attorneys.

The documents in question came from Mr Biden’s vice presidential office. Mr Biden had an office at the think tank from 2017 to 2020 between his stints in government service. Mr Trump, who is under criminal investigation for his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House two years ago, was none-too-pleased.

“When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House? These documents were definitely not declassified,” Mr Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.

The Independent’s Abe Asher has the full story:

[10 January 2023 12:00 · Rachel Sharp]

Biden to meet Trudeau and López Obrador today

President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet on Tuesday for a series of talks on migration, trade and climate change, as the three leaders try to mend tensions that have divided the continent.

The centerpiece of the summit will be hours of talks with all three leaders, but Mr Biden will start Tuesday with a bilateral meeting with Mr Trudeau.

It’s unlikely to be as contentious as his sitdown with Mr López Obrador on Monday.

During that meeting, the Mexican leader challenged Biden to improve life across the region, telling him that “you hold the key in your hand.”

[10 January 2023 12:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

The key differences between Jan 6 and the Brazil riots

Joe Sommerlad explains what differentiates the two moments of unrest.

[10 January 2023 13:00 · Rachel Sharp]

Biden ignores question on classified documents

On Monday, President Joe Biden ignored a reporter’s question about the discovery of classified documents from his time as vice president at a think tank in Washington DC.

Mr Biden’s attorneys confirmed that they had found the government materials in a private office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in November.

It is currently unclear what the documents contain or how they got there but the Justice Department has launched an investigation.

After arriving in Mexico city for the “three amigos summit”, Mr Biden was asked by a reporter about the discovery.

“Any response to the discovery of classified documents at your office?” the reporter asked.

The president did not respond to the question.

[10 January 2023 13:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden pledges US support to Lula after Brazil riots

President Joe Biden spoke with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday, a day after right-wing supporters of ousted ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the presidsential palace, Supreme Court, and legislative body of Brazil.

John Bowden reports.

[10 January 2023 14:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Classified Obama-Biden papers found at think tank, prompting DOJ probe

An Illinois-based federal prosecutor has been tasked with investigating the presence of potentially classified documents found at a Washington, DC think tank by President Joe Biden’s personal attorneys.

In a statement, Special Counsel to the President Richard Sauber said Mr Biden’s lawyers found the documents on 2 November as they were “packing files housed in a locked closet to prepare to vacate office space at the Penn Biden Center” — a think tank affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, where Mr Biden held an honourary professorship and where he “periodically” made use of an office from 2017 to 2020, when they discovered a folder which contained documents bearing classification markings.

Mr Sauber added that Mr Biden’s lawyers had immediately notified the National Archives and Records Administration, which took possession of the documents and informed the Justice Department of what had transpired.

Andrew Feinberg reports.