A House of representatives committee says it will probe into how and why classified files were discovered in President Joe Biden’s old private office at a think tank.
The oversight group is “concerned that President Biden has jeopardized intelligence sources,” said Republican head James Comer.
The papers, uncovered at Washington’s Penn Biden Center, are said to include briefings on other countries.
Mr. Comer, who represents a Kentucky district, has requested that the White House give over any records and correspondence pertaining to the classified items, as well as a list of those who had access to the office space, by January 24. It is not a legal summons, but rather a request.
Mr. Biden told reporters on Tuesday in Mexico City, where he was attending a meeting, that he was “surprised” by the revelation.
“I’m not sure what’s in the documents,” he admitted, adding that his lawyers had urged him not to investigate about the contents.
“We’re completely cooperating with the review,” he continued.
The degree of categorization of the papers, as well as their presence, is unknown.
CNN says, citing a source familiar with the situation, that the ten secret files contain US intelligence memoranda and briefing materials covering themes such as Ukraine, Iran, and the United Kingdom.
According to CNN, one of Mr Biden’s lawyers discovered them in a manila folder labeled “personal” at the Penn Biden Center.
According to a person acquainted with the situation, the batch did not include nuclear secrets, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
As per special counsel to the president Richard Sauber, the records were discovered in a locked cupboard in Mr Biden’s former private office on November 2, last year, just days before the US midterm elections.
According to Mr. Biden’s counsel, the information dates from his service as vice president from 2009 to 2017. From 2017 through 2020, Mr. Biden worked at the think group, which is just a mile from the White House.
Officials are apparently looking into whether Mr Biden has any more confidential information in other locations.
Mr. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, is under investigation by the Justice Department for taking classified information to his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving office.
