Tuesday, December 17, 2024

The FBI found no classified documents at Biden’s Delaware vacation home



CNN

The FBI has completed a search of President Joe Biden’s Rehoboth Beach, Delaware home and found no documents with classified identities, Biden’s personal attorney said Wednesday.

Bob Bauer, Biden’s attorney, said the FBI took handwritten notes and other materials for further review. The search operation lasted for three and a half hours.

“The DOJ’s systematic search of the President’s Rehoboth residences, conducted with the coordination and cooperation of the President’s attorneys, has concluded,” Bauer said. “The search was conducted from 8:30 a.m. to noon.”

No documents with classified markings were found, he said.

Bauer said agents “further reviewed some items and handwritten notes related to his time as vice president,” similar to last month’s search of Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware.

Bauer confirmed in the morning that investigators were searching the home. The search was planned and had Biden’s “full support and cooperation,” Bauer said.

“Under DOJ’s standard procedures, in the interests of operational security and integrity, it sought to do this work without prior public notice, and we agreed to cooperate,” Bauer said. “Today’s search is another step in a thorough and timely DOJ process that we will continue to fully support and facilitate. We will have more information at the conclusion of today’s search.”

Reporters stationed in the coastal community observed black sport utility vehicles and sedans arriving at the home mid-morning.

Biden’s personal lawyers previously raided the Rehoboth home on Jan. 11 and found no classified documents.

The FBI search in Rehoboth marks the third time federal agents are known to have searched properties associated with Biden for classified material.

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FBI Previously, Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware was searched. His lawyer described it as several items containing classified material. That search took place on January 20. Biden’s lawyers previously found documents at the Wilmington home and stopped looking for a specific location where additional documents were found. It’s unclear if the documents the FBI found were in the same location or elsewhere in the home.

The FBI also searched Washington office of the Ben Biden Center in mid-November Biden’s lawyers first discovered classified material in a locked closet at the think tank.

None of the searches, including Wednesday’s in Rehoboth, required a warrant, according to people familiar with the matter. Biden’s team has insisted it is cooperating with the Justice Department as the investigation into the documents continues.

Biden purchased his home in Rehoboth after leaving the vice presidency. He and his wife occasionally spend weekends there, most recently from January 20 to 23.

The search comes on the day the Justice Department announced that special counsel Robert Hurr, overseeing the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, has officially begun his work. Hurr turned over to U.S. Attorney John Lash, who conducted an initial review that turned into a full-fledged criminal investigation.

Hurr, who previously served as U.S. attorney in Maryland, was nominated for the position in 2017 by then-President Donald Trump. He held the post until his resignation in 2021. At work, Har held several high-profile positions. -Profile cases, including a children’s book scandal involving then-Baltimore Mayor Catherine Buck, resulted in Buck being sentenced to three years in prison.

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He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2018 to serve as U.S. attorney, and at the time he received praise from both of Maryland’s Democratic senators, who expressed confidence in his ability to handle important issues facing the state.

Prior to her time with the DOJ, Hurr was a law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist and clerked to federal appeals judge Alex Kozinski.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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