DOJ Was Prepared to Seek Warrant for Biden Docs, But He Avoided Mar-a-Lago-esque Raid by Consenting to Search: Report
The Department of Justice was willing to seek a search warrant to look for classified documents at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware if the president did not consent to a search of the property, CNN reported on Wednesday.
The FBI searched the home on Friday after discussions between Biden’s attorneys and the DOJ. During those talks, the possibility of a warrant did not arise, sources told CNN, but federal investigators were prepared to seek one if Biden was uncooperative:
For its part, the Justice Department had decided it would conduct the latest search – and any subsequent searches – after Biden’s team handled earlier searches themselves. Federal investigators also were prepared to seek a warrant if they did not get consent to search the Wilmington property, according to multiple sources.
Biden has come under fire after it was revealed he had classified documents in multiple locations from his time as vice president and senator. Those materials were supposed to be returned to the government.
The president’s team has said it notified the government immediately after the documents were discovered so that they could be returned.
Biden’s documents mess has drawn comparisons to last year’s discovery of classified documents at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
In August, the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump’s residence after his attorney signed a statement to the Department of Justice stating there were no more government documents onsite after the National Archives retrieved more than 100 classified documents earlier in the year.
But as the raid demonstrated, there were additional government documents at the residence. Hundreds of them are classified, though Trump claims he declassified them. It is unclear what, if any process he alleged used to do so.
Trump reportedly asserted the material is “mine.”
Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence also had classified documents at his home. After finding the documents last week, a lawyer for Pence contacted the FBI and arranged their return that day.
Watch above via CNN.
