Obama office declines to disclose plans, if any, to search for classified docs

Amid revelations that President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and now former Vice President Mike Pence all stored materials marked as classified at their private residences, the office of former President Barack Obama has declined to state its plans, if any, to conduct a search of his properties for similar materials.

Following the Tuesday report that Pence had found materials marked classified at his Indiana home, Fox News reached out to the 44th president's office seeking details on any plans Obama may have to search his own properties. Pence indicated that he searched his home following the discovery of documents in Biden's possession.

"We have nothing for you at this time," came the response from Obama Communications Director Hannah Hankins. Obama maintains residences in Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Martha's Vineyard, Mass.; and New York, N.Y.; the outlet noted.

The handling of classified documents by former White House officials has become a hot button issue since the Aug. 8, 2022, FBI raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Prior to that raid, Trump complied with a grand jury subpoena and surrendered classified materials to the government.

Reports emerged this month that a lawyer for President Joe Biden had discovered a batch of classified documents in Biden's office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington while cleaning it out. Subsequent searches for such materials by Biden aides turned up four separate batches of documents at his Delaware home.

The Department of Justice has appointed special counsels Jack Smith and Robert Hur to handle its investigations into the Trump and Biden incidents, respectively.