Classified documents from President Joe Biden’s vice presidency were discovered at a think tank and will be reviewed by an attorney.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter told CBS News Attorney General Merrick Garland has given the U.S. attorney in Chicago the job to review the classified documents discovered at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington.
According to CBS News, the approximately 10 documents are from Biden’s vice-presidential office at the center, citing sources.
Additionally, the outlet learned the FBI is involved in the inquiry by the U.S. attorney.
Richard Sauber, special counsel to Biden, explained to CBS News the documents were found when Biden’s personal attorneys “were packing files housed in a locked closet to prepare to vacate office space at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C..”
Sources said the documents were inside of a folder that was in a box with other papers that were unclassified.
The sources did not reveal what the documents contained or their level of classification, as CBS News reported.
According to a source, the documents did not have nuclear secrets included within them.
“The documents were not the subject of any previous request or inquiry by the Archives. Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives,” Sauber said.
The National Archives then reportedly informed the Department of Justice.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch has been assigned the job to find out how the classified documents landed at the Penn Biden Center.
The outlet noted Garland will determine whether further investigation will be required.
Biden reportedly found out about the presence of the documents when his lawyer told the White House counsel’s office about them in November.
A source told the network Biden is unaware of the contents of the documents.
Twitter was flooded with reactions to the story.
One user tweeted, “The Biden Administration is trying to indict Trump for the same ‘crime.’ I look forward to seeing how the media spins this one.”
The Biden Administration is trying to indict Trump for the same ‘crime.’
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 9, 2023
I look forward to seeing how the media spins this one.https://t.co/SwtphN7CFS
Donald Trump Jr. wrote, “When will the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team storm one of Biden’s many vacation homes bought and paid for somehow by a lifetime of being a humble public servant?”
When will the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team storm one of Biden’s many vacation homes bought and paid for somehow by a lifetime of being a humble public servant? https://t.co/6qfXdxePll
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 9, 2023
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) argued, “The Biden DOJ did not hesitate to raid President Trump’s home in search of classified documents. Now we learn that Biden’s own think tank was actually home to classified documents. This clear double standard will be part of our investigation into abuse of power under Biden!”
The Biden DOJ did not hesitate to raid President Trump’s home in search of classified documents.
— Claudia Tenney (@claudiatenney) January 10, 2023
Now we learn that Biden’s own think tank was actually home to classified documents.
This clear double standard will be part of our investigation into abuse of power under Biden!
Former President Donald Trump shared his reaction, saying on his Truth Social platform, “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?”
He added, “These documents were definitely not declassified.”