Biden’s beach house searched by US Justice Department
The US Justice Department is conducting a search of a beach house owned by President Joe Biden in Delaware.
A statement from Bob Bauer, personal attorney for the President, read: “Today, with the President’s full support and cooperation, the DOJ is conducting a planned search of his home in Rehoboth, Delaware.
“Under DOJ’s standard procedures, in the interests of operational security and integrity, it sought to do this work without advance public notice, and we agreed to cooperate.
“The search today is a further step in a thorough and timely DOJ process we will continue to fully support and facilitate. We will have further information at the conclusion of today’s search.”
The FBI has yet to comment on the search.
It comes after Mr Biden’s lawyer last month confirmed that six further documents containing classification markings were found at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware.
Previously, Mr Biden’s legal team acknowledged it had found classified documents relating to his time as vice-president in the Obama administration at his home, including some in his garage.
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Aides previously found another batch of classified documents at a Washington think tank he was associated with.
The apparent mishandling of classified documents and official records from the Obama administration is under investigation by a former US attorney, Robert Hur, who was appointed as a special counsel in January by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Republicans have sought to compare the investigation of Mr Biden’s handling of classified documents to the ongoing probe into how former president Donald Trump handled classified documents after his presidency.
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The White House, however, says the two cases are different because Biden’s team has cooperated with authorities in their probe and turned over documents.
Mr Trump had resisted doing so until an FBI search at his Florida home.
A special counsel will also review Trump’s handling of classified documents.
The DOJ historically imposes a high legal bar before bringing criminal charges in cases involving the mishandling of classified information, with a requirement that someone intended to break the law as opposed to being merely careless or negligent in doing so.
The National Archives has reportedly asked all former US presidents and vice-presidents to search their personal records for classified documents or other presidential material that should have been turned over when they left office.
It is unlawful to knowingly or willfully remove or retain classified material, although no current or former president or vice-president has been charged with wrongdoing.
