House investigators Monday sought access to the trove of classified documents improperly taken and stored by President Biden, to determine if the sensitive material was used in connection with the Biden family’s lucrative foreign business deals.
In a letter to special counsel Robert K. Hur, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Mr. Biden’s possession of the documents, House lawmakers requested access to all documents recovered in the case, as well as other related material.
“If any of the classified documents mishandled by President Biden involved countries or individuals that had financial dealings with Biden family members or their related companies, the committee needs access to that information to evaluate whether our national security has been compromised,” House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, wrote to Mr. Hur.
Mr. Comer is conducting an impeachment inquiry into Mr. Biden’s involvement in his son’s business deals involving Ukraine, Russia, China, Romania and other countries dating back to his time as vice president.
Mr. Hur has been investigating Mr. Biden’s possession and storage of classified documents since January, and privately interviewed the president about the matter last week. Mr. Biden reported the classified material to the National Archives and Records Administration last Nov. 2 and waited until January to disclose the matter to the public.
In the letter to Mr. Hur, Mr. Comer asked whether there were any limitations or agreements that prevented federal investigators from asking Mr. Biden about the tax fraud case involving his son Hunter Biden that produced evidence raising questions about Mr. Biden’s involvement in his son’s foreign business deals.
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Mr. Comer has cast doubt on Mr. Biden’s reported timeline in the discovery of the documents.
According to witness testimony and other evidence, President Biden began dispatching staff to retrieve boxes of documents at his think tank, the Penn Biden Center, months before his administration contacted the National Archives about the discovery of the classified material.
Mr. Biden’s top White House lawyer first sought the material on May 11, 2022, the same day that the Justice Department subpoenaed former President Donald Trump over his stash of classified materials in Florida, which has resulted in dozens of criminal charges.
House investigators have asked Mr. Hur to provide a list of the countries and individuals named in documents with classified markings and a copy of the report and notes from Mr. Hur’s interview of Mr. Biden and those involving his former White House Counsel Dana Remus. She began seeking access to the material at the Penn Biden Center on the day Mr. Trump was subpoenaed by the Justice Department.
The timeline and actions, lawmakers say, suggest that Mr. Biden’s team may have been aware he was in possession of classified documents long before Nov. 2, 2022, when Mr. Biden’s lawyer said they discovered the material and summoned the NARA to pick them up.
In addition to the Penn Biden Center, classified material was discovered in the garage of Mr. Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, residence.
At least five White House officials had access to the classified materials at the Penn Biden Center, and some boxes of personal material were shipped away before NARA officials arrived on the scene.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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