Senator Joe Manchin Criticizes President Joe Biden Over Handling of Classified Documents Found at His Home

On Sunday, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) criticized President Joe Biden for his handling of classified documents after six more items were found at the president’s Delaware home. Manchin expressed his support for Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision to appoint a special counsel to review the materials.

The discovery of the classified documents at Biden’s home has provoked new questions about why Biden still had classified information from his time as a vice president and how the material, typically treated with extreme care by federal employees, ended up at his private residence.

Biden’s lawyers argued that Friday’s search underscored his cooperation with a special counsel’s investigation, implicitly distinguishing him from the behavior of ex-President Donald Trump in his own classified documents scandal.

The FBI search of President Joe Biden’s home and discovery of more classified material has deepened the seriousness of his secret documents controversy and worsened the political fallout. Manchin commented on the situation, saying “It’s just hard to believe that in the United States of America, we have a former president and a current president that are basically in the same situation.” He went on to say that “To be held accountable and responsible is what we all are.”

The situation remains extraordinary, however the White House seeks to downplay it. It remains to be seen how the special counsel’s investigation will proceed and what the outcome will be.