WASHINGTON – The White House Attorney’s Office said it is reviewing recent requests from a Republican committee chair related to Biden’s handling of classified documents and said they plan to cooperate to some extent.
In a letter sent to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, and obtained by NBC News, White House counsel Stuart F. Delery said that since Biden’s personal attorneys found government records at the Penn Biden Center, the White House has «fully cooperated» with the National Archives and the Department of Justice to ensure that the documents with classified marks were provided to the proper authorities.
“We are reviewing your recent letters with the goal of trying to accommodate legitimate oversight interests within the Committee’s jurisdiction while respecting the separation of powers and the constitutional and statutory obligations of the Executive Branch in general and the House. Blanca in particular,» Delery wrote.
However, Delery suggested there will be a limit to what the White House is willing to share with Congress. «As I’m sure you are aware, these considerations include the critical need to protect the integrity and independence of police investigations,» she said.
“The Biden Administration takes the security and protection of government records, particularly classified information, seriously,” the letter stated. «We look forward to engaging in good faith with you and your staff regarding your requests. To that end, White House staff will be reaching out to Committee staff to schedule a time to discuss this matter.»
Delery acknowledged that the FBI conducted a «comprehensive and consensual search» of Biden’s Wilmington residence on Friday after the president’s lawyers offered to provide access to his home. She also said the White House has «continued to fully cooperate with the Department of Justice» after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate classified material found at Biden’s home and a Washington office that he used.
Delery’s letter came in response to letters Comer sent earlier this month requesting records and information about the documents. The chairman of the Republican Party, for example, required that the White House provide documents recovered from Biden’s personal office at the Penn Biden Center, a list of everyone who had access to them, and other information before Tuesday. asked in a follow up letter for all documents and communications related to searches of Biden’s homes and other locations and a log of visitors to Biden’s home in Wilmington since he took office on January 30 (the White House has said no such logs exist of visitors.)
Eat Monday also sent a letter to the director of the US Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, requesting all internal documents, communications and information kept for Biden’s home in Delaware. However, the Secret Service has also said that it does not keep records of the residence.
As a result of Friday’s search, six additional items, including documents with classified marks, were found at Biden’s Delaware home, Bob Bauer, the president’s personal attorney, said Saturday.
The documents in the Wilmington home appeared to relate to his time as vice president, Bauer said, as well as his tenure in the US Senate and were found after Biden’s attorney offered full access to the premises.
The Comer investigation is one of two major House Republican investigations into the Biden documents. Led by the chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the House Judiciary Committee is also looking into the matter.