- The Washington Times - Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at President Biden, who sat for an interview with the special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents found at a former office and his Delaware home.

Mr. Trump insisted he did “nothing wrong” despite being charged with 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents he moved from the White House to Mar-a-Lago at the end of his tenure. Mr. Biden has not been charged with wrongdoing.

“I see that Crooked Joe Biden is working on his documents situation. He moved documents, many classified all over the place, for years, including CHINATOWN,” Mr. Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “He even took documents as a Senator, an absolute no, no! I come under the Presidential Records Act, he doesn’t — a big difference!!! I did nothing wrong, he did and so many others.”

Mr. Trump’s social media posts came hours after the White House revealed that Mr. Biden sat down for an interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who is overseeing the documents investigation.

“The voluntary interview was conducted over two days, Sunday and Monday, and concluded Monday,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement. “As we have said from the beginning, the president and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation.”

The White House has maintained Mr. Biden was not involved in any wrongdoings.

Questions began swirling in November about how classified documents from Mr. Biden’s time as vice president in the Obama administration, as well as his tenure as a senator representing Delaware, ended up in his possession.

It is unclear how many documents were seized by investigators and whether the size has been a factor in the length of the investigation.

Mr. Biden’s lawyers reported that they found several classified documents mixed in with other papers in a storage closet while cleaning out a Washington office that Mr. Biden used after leaving the vice presidency, but before he ran for president in 2020.

A search of Mr. Biden’s house in Delaware turned up several classified documents, including some dating back to his time in the Senate, which he left in 2008 to join the Obama administration.

The searches put political pressure on Mr. Garland to appoint a special counsel to investigate the matter, and he responded by appointing Mr. Hur.

Mr. Hur’s appointment came roughly two months after Mr. Garland selected Jack Smith to serve as special counsel investigating former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified government documents that he brought to his Mar-a-Lago residence upon leaving the White House.

Mr. Smith has charged Mr. Trump with 37 criminal counts, including unauthorized retention of national security secrets and obstruction of justice. The former president has maintained his innocence and depicted the charges against him as a political hit job aimed at undermining his 2024 presidential campaign.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

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