The secret documents that have now surfaced were discovered during a search at a second location, the American broadcaster CNN reports Wednesday (local time) based on unnamed sources.
After the initial find in November, Biden employees searched other locations for government documents. The White House initially did not confirm the reports. The contents of the documents, the location and the time were still open. According to broadcaster NBC, these are again classified documents.
It was announced on Monday that Biden had kept secret documents from his time as US Vice President Barack Obama in his private offices at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C.
Biden was “surprised”
Biden used the property after he left the vice president’s office in 2017 until about 2020, the White House said. The files reportedly contain at least 10 top-secret documents, some of which are classified first-class.
Biden then explained that the find “surprised” him and that he did not know who brought the documents there. At the same time, he promised “full cooperation” with the investigation.
White House evades
The White House evaded critical questions about the first find Wednesday, only citing a statement Monday. Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on why the White House had not made the find public much sooner. The documents were discovered in November, shortly before the midterm elections – the media finally made this public.
Jean-Pierre pointed out that the Ministry of Justice is investigating the matter and will not comment. The finding is politically extremely sensitive for Biden, because his predecessor Donald Trump caused a scandal with a similar case in the summer. (SDA)