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

[11 January 2023 03:50 · John Bowden]

Republicans who stayed silent on Trump taking classified documents from White House now slam Biden

A number of Republican politicians who tried to dismiss the discovery of classified materials during an FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago are now claiming to be outraged by a similar situation that has arisen with the discovery of classified materials by Joe Biden’s attorneys at a DC think tank.

It’s a sudden change of heart that reveals the very political side of Washington politicians’ response to allegations of mismanagement by one of their own.

John Bowden breaks it down for us in The Independent:

[11 January 2023 04:50 · John Bowden]

Dem Intel committee chair wants congressional briefing on Biden documents

Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is requesting a congressional briefing from relevant agencies about the documents uncovered at the Penn Biden centre by Joe Biden’s attorneys.

His take is significant given that his committee could launch an investigation into the matter, and it would carry much more weight given that Mr Warner is a member of Mr Biden’s own party.

“Our system of classification exists in order to protect our most important national security secrets, and we expect to be briefed on what happened both at Mar-a-Lago and at the Biden office as part of our constitutional oversight obligations,” said the chairman on Tuesday.

He added, according to NBC: “From what we know so far, the latter is about finding documents with markings, and turning them over, which is certainly different from a months-long effort to retain material actively being sought by the government. But again, that’s why we need to be briefed.”

[11 January 2023 05:50 · John Bowden]

White House counsel’s office comments on Biden classified document trove

Ian Sams, a spokesman for Joe Biden’s office of White House counsel, has released a statement on the ongoing review of documents retrieved from a DC think tank by Mr Biden’s lawyers.

“This is an ongoing process under review by DOJ, so we are going to be limited in what we can say at this time. But we are committed to doing this the right way, and we will provide further details when and as appropriate,” he said.

[11 January 2023 06:50 · John Bowden]

Donald Trump Jr weighs in

Donald Trump Jr has joined the chorus demanding to know why the FBI didn’t “raid” any of Joe Biden’s personal residences for classified documents — the obvious answer being that the agency has no reason to believe there are any present.

“Biden kept classified documents from the Obama administration that he as VP would not have had the ability to declassify and I have yet to hear about the FBI Hostage Rescue Team raiding one of his homes?” asked the former president’s eldest son.

“Why the double standard?” he added.

[11 January 2023 07:50 · John Bowden]

Former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump fumed on Monday evening and demanded an FBI raid of the White House in response to news that Mr Biden’s attorneys had willingly turned over a small handful of records to the National Archives after discovering them at his DC think tank.

“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:

[11 January 2023 08:50 · John Bowden]

DoJ assigns Biden case to Trump appointee to avoid conflict of interest

NBC News has reported that Attorney General Merrick Garland has asked the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John Lausch, to head up the investigation into documents from Joe Biden’s time as vice president, including some classified materials, found by the president’s attorneys at a DC think tank.

Mr Lausch was intentionally assigned the case to avoid any appearance of political favoritism, NBC reports — Mr Lausch was appointed to the position by former President Donald Trump.

His tenure was extended through the Biden administration when both of Illinois’ Democratic senators signed a joint letter urging the president to keep him on the job. Mr Lausch has a long history with the DoJ, including in the agency’s narcotics and gangs unit.

[11 January 2023 10:50 · John Bowden]

ICYMI: Tensions stir between Biden and López Obrador at bilateral meeting

On Monday, US President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had a sharp exchange as they met at the opening of a summit of North American leaders.

The Mexican leader challenged Mr Biden to end an attitude of “abandonment” and “disdain” for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The comments were a stark contrast to the public display of affection between Mr López Obrador and Mr Biden shortly before, as they smiled and embraced and shook hands for the cameras. But once the two sat down in an ornate room at the Palacio Nacional, flanked by delegations of top officials, it didn’t take long for tensions to bubble to the surface.

Mr López Obrador challenged Mr Biden to improve life across the region, telling him that “you hold the key in your hand.”

“This is the moment for us to determine to do away with this abandonment, this disdain, and this forgetfulness for Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said.

He also complained that too many imports are coming from Asia instead of being produced in the America.

“We ask ourselves, couldn’t we produce in America what we consume?” he said. “Of course.”

Biden responded by defending the billions of dollars that the US spends in foreign aid around the world, saying “unfortunately our responsibility just doesn’t end in the Western Hemisphere”. And he referenced US deaths from fentanyl, a drug that flows over the border from Mexico.

While both men pledged to work together, it was a noticeably sharp exchange, on full display before reporters. They met privately for about an hour before having dinner with Mr Trudeau and their wives.

[11 January 2023 11:50 · John Bowden]

Republican Congressman Jim Banks is raising questions about the timing of Monday’s news regarding Joe Biden’s attorneys finding classified materials from his time as vice president at a DC think tank.

Mr Banks chairs the Republican Study Committee, which is aligned typically with House GOP leadership and contrasts with the more right-wing House Freedom Caucus.

“Classified documents were found at Joe Biden’s think tank before the midterms. Why are we just finding out now?” wrote Mr Banks.

“One set of rules for anyone named Biden, Clinton or Obama and a different set of rules for the rest of us,” he added in another tweet.

Mr Biden notably was not up for election in 2022 — the congressman is suggesting that the issue could have somehow helped GOP candidates around the country who were beset by headwinds stemming from the Supreme Court’s decision ending Roe vs Wade, as well as voters’ distaste for the election fraud conspiracies that some Trump acolytes were still spreading in 2022.

[11 January 2023 12:50 · John Bowden]

Oversight Republican: ‘Same treatment’ for Biden and Trump

The incoming Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, has released a statement on the discovery of a small number of classified materials dating back from Joe Biden’s time at the White House at a DC think tank.

The Oversight committee is one of the most powerful in the House of Representatives, with the purview of conducting ethical oversight of multiple areas of the US federal government. Investigations launched by this committee could be some of the most headache-inducing for the Biden White House over the next two years.

“President Biden has stated that taking classified documents from the White House is ‘irresponsible.’ Under the Biden Administration, the Department of Justice and National Archives have made compliance with the Presidential Records Act a top priority,” said Mr Comer.

“We expect the same treatment for President Biden, who has apparently inappropriately maintained classified documents in an insecure setting for several years.”

[11 January 2023 13:50 · John Bowden]

Does the classified papers stash make Joe Biden as bad as Trump? Here is the key difference

To hear Republicans react to reports that attorneys working for President Joe Biden had discovered — and promptly reported — the presence of documents bearing classification markings at a Washington DC think tank where he kept an office before launching his 2020 presidential campaign, Christmas came early in the new year.

But as The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg writes, one key difference between the president’s actions and those of Donald Trump will go a long way toward keeping the Department of Justice off his back.