FBI agents did not uncover any classified materials during their search of President Biden’s vacation home at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, but they did remove handwritten notes and materials related to Mr. Biden’s time as vice president; his lawyer said Wednesday.
Mr. Biden’s personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, said the materials were taken for further review. He did not offer additional information. The search took place for three and a half hours — from 8:30 a.m. to noon, according to Mr. Bauer.
“The search today is a further step in a thorough and timely DOJ process we will continue to fully support and facilitate. We will have further information at the conclusion of today’s search,” Mr. Bauer said in a statement.
He said the search was carried out with the president’s “full support and cooperation.” It was done without advance public notice to protect the investigation’s “operational security and integrity,” the lawyer said.
Classified documents have been found at Mr. Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at a former think-tank office he used in Washington after the end of his tenure as vice president in the Obama administration.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
The search of Mr. Biden’s beach house marks the third publicly acknowledged FBI search for classified materials at a property associated with Mr. Biden.
FBI agents searched Mr. Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, in January and November. The FBI searched the offices of the Penn Biden Center in Washington after the president’s attorneys on Nov. 2 found classified materials locked in a closet.
Mr. Biden spent the past weekend at Camp David, fueling speculation that his Rehoboth Beach house was in investigators’ crosshairs. He had spent a weekend at the residence last month after investigators hunted for classified documents at the president’s Wilmington home.
The Justice Department had been mulling a request to search the house in Rehoboth Beach but wanted to request access to the property through the president’s lawyers rather than consider a warrant.
The Washington Times has confirmed that Mr. Biden’s lawyers consented to the search that occurred on Wednesday, meaning a search warrant was not secured by the FBI.
The search coincides with special counsel Robert Hur’s first formal week investigating the potential mishandling of classified documents.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Mr. Hur last month to investigate the mishandling of classified documents by Mr. Biden.
Mr. Biden has insisted he is fully cooperating with the Justice Department, but has also faced questions about being transparent on the matter.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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