President Biden on Friday mocked his predecessor’s claims that all of the classified material he brought to his South Florida home had been pre-released.
Asked about former President Donald Trump’s claims that he used his presidential powers to release the material, Biden scoffed.
“I just want you to know that I released everything in the world. I’m president, I can do — come on,” Biden told reporters as he left the White House.
It amounted to Biden’s most comprehensive comment yet on the handling of classified documents following the FBI’s search of his predecessor’s Florida home.
His comments, which came not long after an edited affidavit shed new light on the material Trump brought to his Palm Beach members’ club, stopped at passing judgment on Trump’s actions.
But they still reflected Biden’s most comprehensive comments on an issue he and his team have tried to keep at bay.
“I’m not going to comment because I don’t know the details. I don’t even want to know. I’ll let the Justice Department do that,” Biden said.
In the days following the FBI’s search of Trump’s grounds, the former president and his allies claimed that Trump had a “standing order” to release documents he took from the Oval Office to the White House residence.
DailyExpertNews has previously reported that more than a dozen senior Trump administration officials have never heard of such an order issued during their time for Trump, saying they believe the claim is patently false.
Biden and his top aides have worked diligently to avoid comment on the ongoing criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified material. They have said that they are only aware of the developments through the news media.
Still, some officials of the Biden administration have personally said there are internal concerns about exactly what Trump took with him and whether it could harm US national security.
Asked Friday whether it was ever appropriate to take classified material home, Biden suggested there were scenarios where it was okay.
“It depends on the circumstances — for example, I have an enclosed space in my house that is fully secured,” he said, describing the Sensitive Compartmented Information Service built to handle classified information.
“I’m taking home today’s PDB (Presidential Daily Brief) today. It’s locked. I’ve got a person with me, soldiers with me. I’m reading it. I’m locking it up again. I’m giving it to the military, ” he said. said.
When asked whether it was appropriate to handle classified material without a specialized area to do so, Biden said, “It depends on the documents and it depends on how safe everything is.”