Senator says Biden has lost a moral ‘high ground’ to Trump after discovery of latest document
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A prominent Democratic senator has criticized President Biden’s handling of classified documents days after files were found at the current head of state’s home in Delaware, calling his handling of confidential materials “unacceptable.”
Appearing for an interview Sunday, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin chided the president for his decisions, calling them careless and comparing them to the actions of the president’s embattled predecessor, Donald Trump.
The documents recovered Saturday from Biden’s Wilmington residence span from his three-decade tenure in the Senate and his time as vice president, reportedly bringing the total number of classified files found to between 25 and 30.
It was not immediately clear how many of the six documents released were top-secret in nature, although the Justice Department searched the property for more than 12 hours, according to a statement from the president’s personal attorney.
The long and tortuous trail of documents has raised concerns about the president’s decision-making, as officials discern whether his hoarding of documents in his garage, next to his old Corvette, constitutes a breach of national security.
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Appearing on CNN on Sunday, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin chastised the president for his decisions, calling them careless and comparing them to the actions of his embattled predecessor.
Documents recovered Saturday from Biden’s Wilmington residence span from his three-decade tenure in the Senate and his time as vice president. It reportedly brings the total number of classified files found in Biden’s private home to between 25 and 30.
Speaking with Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Durbin criticized Biden’s conduct and said he has seen him lose his moral ‘high ground’ over Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago home was recently raided by the federal authorities.
“There is a standard that we follow when it comes to members of Congress and classified information,” Durbin said during the televised meeting, before detailing the actions of officials in his office when handling classified materials.
‘My office door is closed. The person who presents me with the document takes it out of a closed briefcase, hands it to me, and watches as I read it.
‘When I finish reading it, he takes it back, puts it in his briefcase and leaves the scene. That’s how carefully we reviewed these documents,’ Durbin continued.
“To think that any of them ended up in boxes stored in one place or another,” he continued, “is just unacceptable.”
Durbin, a 78-year-old progressive serving his fifth consecutive term in the Senate, compared Biden’s ongoing debacle to Trump’s own classified documents crisis, which resulted in an FBI raid on his Florida mansion in August.
While drawing parallels between the two situations, Durbin made it clear that he views Biden’s behavior as completely different from that of former President Trump, citing the former’s apparent willingness to cooperate with federal investigators.
At least some documents were found in Biden’s garage at his Wilmington home, next to his old Corvette, a location Biden last week called “safe.”
“Joe Biden has said from the beginning, we’re going to be totally transparent about this,” Durbin said. ‘Let the chips fall where they may. I’m going to voluntarily open my house to a search, not the first, I’m sure, of his offices and his house. You have shown full cooperation in this effort.’
The elected official added: “That’s a stark contrast to President Trump.”
At that point, Bash stopped the senator and asked if, after the latest discovery, Durbin fears that Biden, who mocked the mishandling of files recovered during Trump’s Mar-a-Lago raid, has lost his ‘high point in this notion of classified information’ to the former president.
Durbin responded by saying, “Well, of course,” before explaining exactly how far Biden, currently the subject of a Justice Department investigation, has fallen.
During the interview, CNN’s Dana Bash (left) asked the senator if, after the latest discovery, Durbin fears that Biden, who has mocked Trump’s mishandling of files in the past, has lost his ‘ high point in this notion’ before the ex-president
“Let’s be honest about it,” Durbin said, visibly disturbed by the president’s current situation.
‘When information is found, it lowers the stature of anyone in possession of it. Because it’s not supposed to happen.
“Whether it was the fault of a staff member or a lawyer,” he added, “it doesn’t matter.” The elected official has the ultimate responsibility.’
Just before the DOJ discovery last week, Biden insisted his garage was a safe place in an exchange with a reporter following a series of discoveries by DOJ officials at his Delaware home that prompted an FBI investigation. still ongoing in november.
Classified materials next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?’ Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked the president during a White House news conference.
My Corvette is in a locked garage, okay? Biden responded, apparently upset by the investigation. “It’s not like they’re sitting on the street,”
“So it was in a locked garage?” Doocy insisted.
“Yeah, just like my Corvette,” Biden quipped.
The president is currently under investigation by a special counsel, appointed by his own attorney general, Merrick Garland, for his handling of classified records.
Federal officials are “considering whether to search” further searches of the commander-in-chief’s family home after six additional items were discovered there during a search Saturday..
The news broke while Biden was at his Rehoboth Beach vacation property, and after Biden criticized Trump’s mishandling of files, hundreds of which were recovered from Mar-a-Lago, as “irresponsible.” .
Trump is currently the subject of a separate federal investigation, also for his handling of classified records. The former head of state is believed to have lied to investigators about having presidential documents at his private residence, resulting in an FBI raid on his home last summer.
Hundreds of supposedly top-secret files were later discovered by agents who carried out the search and seized as evidence. Since then, Trump has faced heat from investigators for apparently trying to thwart their investigation of him.
Biden, by contrast, has said he is taking the investigation “seriously” and working with officials at the Justice Department and the National Archives every step of the way.
But Republican critics of the Democratic president have questioned him after this weekend’s discovery, the magnitude of which has yet to be seen.
‘AGAIN?!? How the hell do they keep screwing this up? As Biden repeatedly says, “everyone knows how seriously I take classified documents.” Yes. Yes we do,’ Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz wrote on Twitter.
Biden at his Rehoboth Beach estate this weekend as more classified files were found at his Wilmington home.
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry, a member of the House Oversight Committee, echoed Biden’s own words: “Everyone knows how seriously I take classified documents.”
“I guess the operative words here were: ‘I do,'” Perry wrote.
Other Republicans are similarly clamoring for the president to face legal repercussions amid the growing scandal.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer said his investigation into the Biden family was moving to its “next phase,” reportedly involving both the president’s classified documents and finances, along with those of his son Hunter Biden.
Let’s review the bank statements. We will be investigating the banking violations,’ Comer told the washington examiner.
âThat is the next phase of our investigation because we are trying to find out who these anonymous sources are that are sending so much money to the Biden family schemes: the Biden Center for Diplomacy and the Hunter Biden artwork.â
Saturday’s discovery in Wilmington came just four days after Biden insisted he has “no regrets” about his handling of classified files.