The White House has confirmed that President Biden participated in a voluntary interview regarding his management of certain classified documents. The discussion, overseen by Special Counsel Robert Hur, took place over two days, ending on Monday, according to Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s Office.
The inquiry is headed by Hur, designated for this role by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Emphasizing the administration’s commitment to the investigation, Sams remarked, “The President and the White House have consistently cooperated with this probe, offering public updates when suitable, while ensuring the investigation remains untainted.” For further information, Sams directed queries to the Department of Justice.
While the interview was ongoing, tensions escalated in the Middle East, with clashes emerging between Israel and Hamas. Amidst this, President Biden engaged in discussions with international heads of state and consulted his national security advisors.
The origin of this investigation traces back to some documents from Biden’s tenure as Vice President, which included a few marked as classified. These were uncovered at the Penn Biden Center by the president’s legal team on November 2, 2022, as they were preparing to clear out the office space. Following the discovery, the National Archives was alerted and collected the documents the next day.
Drawing parallels from the past, it’s worth noting that while then-President Donald Trump’s attorneys provided written responses rather than a direct interview during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, past presidents like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton did participate in direct interviews related to other inquiries.
