President Joe Biden faced questions about the handling of documents during a wave of scrutiny this week, as aides who organized his offices were placed under intense focus amid the classified information episode. Biden has moved through several locations that he uses regularly, and in a PBS interview he acknowledged the importance of properly reviewing documents as teams prepared to relocate his workspace.
The ongoing confidential material matter began last January when it emerged that files from Biden’s vice presidency had been located and turned over to the Justice Department by his legal team. The situation prompted a period of intensified review by federal authorities, with officials pledging a thorough examination of the material. On January 12, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of a special prosecutor, Robert Hur, to oversee the inquiry into all classified documents discovered to date.
To date, classified materials have been found at two of Biden’s regular workplaces and at a residence in Delaware, but not at the Rehoboth Beach home previously mentioned. The matter has spurred comparisons to a separate FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, though the contexts have differed in their specifics. In Biden’s case, the White House has stated that the president invited federal investigators to conduct a search of his residence, and the administration has repeatedly stressed that Biden cooperates fully with the investigation.
Under U.S. law, presidential papers are required to be transferred to the National Archives for retention and public record preservation, ensuring the proper safeguarding and eventual availability of for historical and governmental review.