Federal prosecutors and FBI agents have significantly widened the investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, according to ABC News.
Prosecutors and agents from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s office have interviewed as many as 100 witnesses, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and have examined internal White House processes during the past nine months, according to the outlet. Some interviews were conducted as late as mid-September, and some interviewees have even been asked to return for a follow-up interview.
Authorities have reportedly gathered information regarding Biden’s alleged carelessness in the handling of classified material during his time as vice president, ABC News reported. The witnesses reportedly said the removal of the documents appeared to be a mistake rather than criminal activity.
In the course of the investigation, Hur’s office has been accessing and investigating documents dating back to the early days of former President Barack Obama’s administration and Biden’s tenure in the Senate, according to ABC News.
BREAKING: The federal probe into Pres. Biden’s handling of classified documents prior to becoming president has grown into a sprawling investigation, sources say.
Several sources estimated that as many as 100 witnesses have already been interviewed, with interviews conducted as… pic.twitter.com/cKufCuipBh
— ABC News (@ABC) September 26, 2023
Witnesses have reportedly been questioned about Biden and his aides’ internal procedures for handling classified material, especially where Biden stored documents, notecards and briefing books, ABC News reported. (RELATED: More Classified Documents Found In Biden’s Garage, Next To His Corvette)
They have also accessed email chains dating back to 2010 and have asked witnesses for context and have reportedly asked witnesses about the use of safes and cabinets, per the outlet.
Biden’s lawyers found ten classified documents at the University of Pennsylvania’s Biden Penn Center on Nov. 2, leading to an FBI search. More documents were found at his private home in Delaware on Dec. 20, Jan. 11, Jan. 12 and Jan. 20.
Biden’s attorneys did not announce the discovery of the first tranche of documents until January, though they initially discovered them just ten days before the 2022 midterm elections.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur as special counsel on Jan. 12 to investigate whether the president mishandled the classified documents.
Both Biden and Blinken said they were “surprised” to learn of the classified documents being in his private possession when reports first surfaced in January. The president, along with his administration, defended the storage of classified documents by arguing that he and his legal counsel are fully cooperating with the FBI.