A Democratic senator is expressing support for an investigation into classified documents found to be in President Joe Biden’s possession.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) appeared on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday and was asked by host Jon Karl if he agreed with the appointment of a special counsel in the case.
“Well, certainly,” Warnock responded. “Let me say, at the top, that classified documents are to be taken seriously. And they are to be handled with a great deal of care, and no one is above the law.”
He added, “So I’m glad to see the Justice Department doing its work.”
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Sen. Raphael Warnock on special counsel investigation into Pres. Biden’s handling of documents: “Nobody’s above the law. And we need to get to the bottom of this so that we don’t see this kind of thing happen again.” https://t.co/gl4CH9lNgM pic.twitter.com/dmUrgQSOyw
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 15, 2023
Karl noted White House officials knew classified documents had been discovered at the Penn Biden Center in November and asked if Warnock believed the public should have been informed sooner.
“I’m glad to see that the president and his administration are cooperating, and they should continue to cooperate, nobody’s above the law. And we need to get to the bottom of this so we don’t see this kind of thing happen again,” the senator responded.
Karl reiterated his question and noted some Republicans have suggested there was a cover-up.
“The Justice Department is engaged in the investigation. And that’s one of the questions that I think they will explore. And I don’t want to get in front of that investigation,” Warnock said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to look into the discovery of documents with classification markings from Biden’s time as vice president being discovered at various locations.
Last week, it was reported a U.S. attorney was reviewing roughly 10 documents from Biden’s time as vice president found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, D.C. Those documents were discovered in November, before the midterm election.
Another batch of documents was found in the garage of the president’s Wilmington, Delaware, home. According to Garland, those documents were discovered on Dec. 20, 2022.
And on Saturday, White House lawyer Richard Sauber revealed six documents with classified markings were found in the president’s private library of his Wilmington home. One was found on Wednesday, and five more were discovered on Thursday.
In a statement last week, Sauber expressed confidence an investigation will reveal the documents were “inadvertently misplaced, and the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake.”
Other Democrats have voiced support for an investigation into the matter.
However, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) raised questions about the timing of the documents’ discovery and the possibility they were planted.