This article was written by Marisa Powers & Tasha Khosla.
Introduction
In November 2022, classified documents from the Obama-Biden administration were found at the Penn Biden Center. In January 2023, more classified documents were found at the Center. There were more documents found at his home in Wilmington, Delaware later in January. Some of the documents were from his tenure in the Senate from 1973 to 2009.
_________________________________________________________________
Campus Conservative, Marisa Powers
Biden said that he has “no regrets” when asked about why his administration did not disclose the discovered classified documents to the public sooner. However, in my view, he should have some regrets. They waited 68 days after the midterm elections to inform the public, after it was leaked on January 9. It is also important to note that Biden’s other properties were not immediately searched after the first documents were found. The reason for this is that they did not think they would find any other documents, which turned out not to be true, as they found some in the garage of his Wilmington home.
While Biden said he has no regrets, the public has issues with how he responded to the situation. A poll from ABC News reported that 64% of Americans believe that Biden acted inappropriately in how he handled the classified documents.
In my view, I do not think his administration should have waited to inform the public, especially since “the administration was already probing former Republican President Donald Trump’s handling of highly sensitive classified documents that he retained at his Florida resort.” His lawyers also should not have been the ones to go through the documents, as they did not have clearance. I think it is also important to ask why the documents from his tenure in the Senate are just being discovered now.
While Biden may have “no regrets,” I do not think he and his administration are handling the situation with as much seriousness as it deserves.
Campus Liberal, Tasha Khosla
While the Biden Administration has been making a clear effort to work with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and address the situation, the discovery of these classified documents is definitely concerning. A poll from NBC News found that 67% of Americans are, “equally concerned about the discovery of classified documents found at Biden’s and Trump’s homes, even though the current president and ex-president handled their situations in different ways.” Even though both presidents handled being discovered with classified documents very differently, the reality is that these events do not reflect well on either of them. Moreover, a big concern is the nature of these classified documents and how easily accessible they have been. This poses the question: do there need to be more procedures set in place to avoid classified documents going missing?
FBI director Christopher Wray commented on the situation, “People need to be conscious of the rules regarding classified information and appropriate handling. Those rules are there for a reason.” Evidently, those rules are not being strictly followed.
In a press briefing, White House National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby mentioned, “We all know what the rules are. We follow the rules. And the procedures exist for a reason. And they’ve been developed over many, many years as the nature of classified material has changed, now down – to now include electronic capability. And so, we’re working at that.”
The White House needs to be more transparent about what is being done in order to avoid classified material going missing and not being found until much later. By simply having “no regrets,” Biden has jeopardized the integrity of his administration. The only way to assuage the concerns of the American public is to address the bigger issue head-on and place more measures to prevent this situation from happening so frequently.
Conclusion
Both sides agree that the Biden Administration is not properly handling the situation. The “no regrets” approach seems hollow and does not address the bigger picture. In the end, the Biden Administration should not have waited 10 weeks to tell the public and there needs to be a better procedure for keeping track of these documents.
Be First to Comment