House Oversight chair slams Biden's 'alarming' secrecy in delayed disclosure of classified documents

Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee chair, pledged a congressional probe into what he called the White House's "alarming" secrecy and slow disclosure about the mishandling of classified documents from the time Joe Biden was vice president.

"The Biden White House's secrecy in this matter is alarming," Comer said Saturday. 

Three batches of classified documents were discovered by Biden's attorneys from Nov. 2, 2022, through Thursday in Biden's home and former office, but the White House only confirmed finding the records last week.

"Equally alarming is the fact that Biden aides were combing through documents knowing there would be a Special Counsel appointed. Many questions need to be answered but one thing is certain: oversight is coming," Comer said. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday he had appointed special counsel Robert Hur to investigate the classified documents and "whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter." House Republicans have already launched a probe into the appointment.

Comer said Biden committed "three strikes against transparency." The first is that the executive branch "failed to promptly inform" Congress and the public about the documents, the congressman said. Additionally, the public did not find out about the documents at Biden's D.C. office in the Penn Biden Center until months after the discovery, he said. Finally, Comer said the White House took "weeks" to inform the public about documents found in Biden's garage. 

"Are there more classified documents to be found?" he asked. 

Other top-ranking House Republicans, such as Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, have called for a review of Biden's handling of classified materials.