Jan 13, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Schumer: Unlike Trump, Biden handled discovery of classified documents "correctly"

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told CNN Friday morning that President Biden has properly handled the discovery of classified documents at his home and private office.

Driving the news: “I think President Biden has handled this correctly,” he told CNN. “He’s fully cooperated with the prosecutors. When the documents were found, he notified the Archives."

  • "It’s a total contrast to President Trump, who stonewalled for a whole year," Schumer told CNN.
  • “We should let it play out,” Schumer said. “We don’t have to push them in any direction or try to influence them. That’s all I’m going to say. Let the special prosecutors do their job.”

The big picture: There are differences in how Trump and Biden have responded to their respective cases, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.

  • For example, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Thursday he appointed special counsel Robert Hur to investigate Biden's handling of the documents. Biden said the White House would cooperate with the investigation.
  • Trump, meanwhile, faces a separate special counsel inquiry over a trove of classified documents found at his home. The former president and his allies have sharply criticized the ongoing probe led by special counsel Jack Smith.

Go deeper... How Biden and Trump's classified doc discoveries have differed

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