President Joe Biden willingly participated in a interview conducted by special counsel Robert Hur over the course of two days as part of the ongoing investigation into classified documents, according to a statement from the White House on Monday. The voluntary interview took place at the White House on Sunday and Monday, concluding on Monday.
"We have consistently stated from the outset that the President and the White House are fully cooperating with this investigation. We have also been diligent in providing relevant updates to the public, ensuring transparency while safeguarding the integrity of the investigation," stated Sams. For any further inquiries, he redirected questions to the Justice Department.
This interview marks a significant milestone in the case, bringing to light the first notable development known to the public in months. Notably, this stands in stark contrast to the previous administration under President Biden. Despite extensive negotiations surrounding a potential interview, former President Donald Trump never sat down with special counsel Robert Mueller during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Presently, Trump faces criminal charges in two distinct special counsel investigations, one of which concerns his handling of classified documents subsequent to his departure from the presidency in January 2021.
Biden's interview comes months after he denied any request or interest in being interviewed by the special counsel in the investigation, according to CNN.
CNN reached out for comment to a spokesperson for Hur, who is responsible for investigating classified documents discovered at Biden's home and former private office, but they declined to provide a statement.
The interview had been arranged several weeks in advance, as confirmed by a well-informed source.
During Sunday and Monday, the president had a limited number of public engagements, and it was announced to journalists quite early that Biden would not partake in any public events. In the morning of Monday, the president convened with administration personnel to discuss the ongoing conflict in Israel, while in the afternoon, he engaged in discussions with his allies.
In January, Hur was assigned to investigate instances where classified documents were discovered at both Biden's former office in Washington, DC, and his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Attorney General Merrick Garland, upon announcing the investigation, provided a timeline of events that initiated with the discovery in Washington in November 2022.
According to Garland, the National Archives notified a prosecutor from the DOJ on November 4 that the White House had informed them about classified documents found at Biden's unauthorized think tank, which was not permitted to store such materials.
The Archives informed the prosecutor that the documents had been secured in an Archives facility. Five days later, the FBI initiated an initial assessment, with then-US Attorney John Lausch appointed to lead the preliminary inquiry on November 14. In December, the White House counsel notified Lausch about a second batch of apparently classified documents found at Bidens Wilmington home. Just before Hurs appointment was announced, Biden's personal attorney contacted Lausch to report the discovery of another classified document at Bidens home.
According to a statement from the president's legal team, the documents were discovered "among personal and political papers." In February, the FBI conducted a search at Bidens Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, residence but did not find any additional documents.
Biden expressed his surprise in January upon discovering that classified documents were found in his previous office. He shared this during a news conference in Mexico City while attending a trilateral summit with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.
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At the time, he stressed that he had no knowledge of the document contents. According to a reliable source, the documents included US intelligence memos and briefing materials on various subjects, such as Ukraine, Iran, and the United Kingdom, as previously reported by CNN. Biden was unaware of the existence of the documents until his personal lawyers informed the White House counsel's office, as per a knowledgeable source. The president acknowledged that his attorneys promptly contacted the Archives, stating that they acted appropriately.
Biden emphasized his strong regard for classified documents and information, mentioning that they were discovered either in a box, locked cabinet, or at least a closet. Subsequently, when documents were found at his Wilmington residence in January, Biden assured full cooperation with the Justice Department. He further specified that the documents were located in a securely locked garage.
"Its not like theyre sitting out on the street," he insisted when a reporter asked why he was storing classified material next to a sports car.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.