As Biden packs up to leave, questions arise about classified documents from his term
Now, with moving trucks back at the White House, Biden’s team is packing up documents and personal items. They’re promising to handle classified info better this time around, but there’s still no word on what the federal task force suggested for smoother transitions. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said they’re trying to follow the rules and do things right.
Earlier this year, Biden set up a task force to look into how past transitions handled classified info. They’re trying to figure out how to keep sensitive documents safe and ensure they end up in the right place. Experts say it’s crucial to keep state secrets under wraps, and Biden’s got to sort through everything he’s collected over the years. He can take personal stuff, but most documents, especially classified ones, need to go to the National Archives.
The rules about handling classified documents have been pretty loose, and it’s been a problem for a long time. Former officials often find classified materials in their homes and usually just hand them over. But Trump? He didn’t want to give back the classified stuff he took when he left office, which led to a big FBI raid.
When Biden left the vice presidency, he found some classified documents in his garage and at a think tank. He said he was surprised and turned them over right away. The whole thing blew up when his personal attorney found more documents in late 2022. Biden cooperated with the investigation, and while the special counsel found some documents he kept, they decided not to press charges.
Legally, Biden came out clean, but the talk about his mental fitness didn’t help his chances for reelection. After a rough debate against Trump, he decided to step back, leaving Kamala Harris with a short time to campaign. In the end, Trump won the 2024 election and is heading back to the White House.
