A review of classified documents discovered at an office once used by President Biden is nearing an end, while Biden aide found another set of classified records at his home in Wilmington, De. The president offered little in the form of an explanation when he first addressed the matter Tuesday in Mexico City, indicating that he was "surprised" after learning the initial set of classified material was discovered in a locked closet while attorneys were in the process of vacating the space Biden used after he was vice president, reports USA Today. When the records were discovered, Biden’s attorneys notified the National Archives and turned them over the next day, the president said.
Neither a Biden attorney Sauber nor the White House immediately addressed the discovery of a second set of documents. There was no immediate explanation for why the November recovery of the first set of papers was not disclosed until this week. Republicans have raised questions about the delay in public disclosure, noting that the documents were recovered less than a week before the midterm elections and more than two weeks before Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to manage two criminal investigations involving Donald Trump, including the former president's retention of hundreds of classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021. Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch, Jr., a holdover from the Trump administration, has been conducting an initial assessment. “It’s clear that Biden’s staff have no idea how many classified documents are in Biden’s former offices and are desperately looking for them,” said Tommy Pigott, the rapid response director of the Republican National Committee.