President Joe Biden finished a two-day interview by special counsel Robert K. Hur concerning an investigation of classified documents discovered in his possession following his time as vice president.
Multiple batches of classified documents have reportedly been discovered since November 2022, and an investigation into the discoveries has been ongoing.
Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, said the voluntary interview was concluded on Monday at the White House.
“As we have said from the beginning, the President and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation,” Sams said, per the Associated Press. “We would refer other questions to the Justice Department at this time.”
Hur, appointed in January to handle the Justice Department inquiry, conducted the interview himself, The Washington Post reported.
The initial discovery came on November 2, 2022, when a set of documents were found at the Penn Biden Center, President Biden’s Washington D.C.-based think tank, per BBC.
An investigation was then opened into the discovery, and then-U.S. Attorney John Lausch was chosen to head the preliminary inquiry, according to CNN.
A second group of classified documents was reportedly discovered with other personal and political documents a month later, on December 20, in the garage of Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, per BBC.
The Presidential Records Act states that classified documents from one administration must be handed over to The National Archives once the administration ends.
Lausch reportedly received a call from Biden’s attorney to inform him that the documents were found and turned into the National Archives.
When asked about the discovery of the documents, Biden told reporters that he was “surprised to learn there were any government records that were taken there to that office,” according to CNN.
Biden commended his attorneys for contacting Lausch upon the discovery of the documents, saying that they “did what they should have done,” per CNN.
Although there has not been any statement from U.S. officials regarding the contents of the documents, CNN reported that U.S. intelligence briefings about Ukraine, Iran, and the United Kingdom may have been part of the discoveries.
This inquiry is similar to the investigation of former President Donald Trump regarding classified documents he allegedly withheld from the National Archives at the end of his presidency.
Trump entered a plea of not guilty in June to 37 charges relating to the allegations of mishandling classified information, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
