‘Not Usual’: CNN’s Jamie Gangel Singles Out Biden and Trump Taking Home Classified Docs As Break With Modern Presidents

CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel called out both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday for breaking with longstanding norms surrounding modern presidents and their handling of classified documents.

Gangel spoke during a CNN panel on the appointment of special counsel Robert K. Hur to investigate Biden’s retention of classified documents and while praising Hur’s credentials offered some historical context on the topic.

“One other thing I think it’s worth talking about. We have seen documents mishandled with both Donald Trump and now Joe Biden,” Gangel said, adding:

But I went back to talk to sources who’ve worked with past presidents, vice presidents, also sources who are familiar with the National Archives. This doesn’t happen a lot. It is true that from time to time, high level officials will find a folder in the back of a closet. There were incidents where a widow of a high level official found something. There’s a story where a university was given papers for a high level official and then going through them years later, they they found documents.

But if you go back, Bush 41, this did not happen. Bush 43, no. Clinton, no. Obama, no. Dick Cheney, no. So, you know, there are honest mistakes. There are situations like what happened with Donald Trump where it seems that he wanted to hold on to some things. He thought everything was his. But it’s this is not unusual for presidents and vice presidents.

“Andy McCabe, if I could get you to respond to what you just heard from Jamie Gangel, because that, of course, is a question many are asking,” noted CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga.

“How common is this of presidents to remove classified documents knowingly or unknowingly and storing them? Has it happened before? And also to the question of the impartiality and the respect that both members from both parties have for a prosecutor like Rob Hur, because I’m just a bit skeptical given that we heard the same accolades in the initial early days of Bob Mueller being assigned to investigate the former president until that all changed,: Golodryga then asked the former deputy director of the FBI.

“Sure. So with to your first question, I think Jamie is absolutely right. I think this is until very recently, these problems with the retention of classified material or sensitive material by presidents is fairly rare,” answered McCabe.

“I would suggest that the reason for that is because presidential administrations and vice presidential administrations have large, competent professional staffs. This is largely a staff issue,” he added, concluding:

I would be willing to bet a lot of money that Joe Biden didn’t sit there and decide what got packed up out of his vice presidential office before he left. So you have highly trained, competent staff, professional staff around. Usually these problems don’t happen. That’s why you do see it more among high-level officials, officials who don’t have that sort of expansive staff. That’s how things mistakes can happen. Documents can end up in places where you didn’t intend them to be. With respect to how much Robert Herz strong reputation will protect him and insulate him from criticism, I suspect that will last a maybe until the end of today.

Watch the full clip above via CNN.

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