Joe Biden “Surprised” by Discovery of Classified Documents at Former Office

President Joe Biden addressed the discovery of classified documents at a private office he used during his days in the Obama administration on Tuesday, saying he was “surprised” by the findings and does not know what the records contain.

The discovery of the documents at the Penn Biden Center, a Washington think tank that Biden used as an office from 2017 to 2019, has led to yowls by some Republicans who say there is an unfair double standard being applied to Donald Trump’s stash of classified documents.

The White House announced the document discovery on Monday, saying that in November, Biden’s lawyers found a small collection of Barack Obama-era materials in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center.

The White House said that the documents were “inadvertently” left at the office and that Biden’s team had no knowledge of them. Biden’s lawyers have since taken possession of the documents and are in the process of determining what they contain.

The discovery of the documents has raised questions about the handling of classified information and the security protocols of the Obama administration. However, the circumstances of the finds are very different from those of former President Donald Trump, who was accused of mishandling classified information.

Biden said that he was briefed about the discovery and was surprised to learn that any government records were taken to the office. He said that his lawyers are in the process of determining what the documents contain and that he will take appropriate action once they are reviewed.