Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. acknowledged Sunday that Joe Biden's handling of classified documents could be a breach to national security.
While appearing on ABC's "This Week" program, Schiff said the three batches of found classified materials associated with Biden — including documents in the "locked" garage of his Delaware home — could have serious consequences, moving forward.
"I don't think we can exclude the possibility without knowing more of the facts," Schiff told ABC's Jonathan Karl. "I'd like to know what these documents were, I'd like know what the (special counsel's) assessment is."
Earlier this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland assigned a special counsel (former U.S. attorney Robert Hur) to Biden's classified materials case. According to reports, Biden had been in possession of the documents dating back to his time as vice president to President Barack Obama — a position that holds no declassification powers in American government.
"The attorney general has to make sure that not only is justice evenly applied, but the appearances of justice are also satisfactory to the public," Schiff said. "And here, I don't think he had any choice but to appoint a special counsel."
Biden's personal lawyers apparently discovered the confidential papers in different locations. At this time, however, it's unknown if those attorneys had special clearance to peruse through classified government documents.
It's also unknown if future batches of classified materials will be announced by the White House.
Also, the FBI doesn't appear to be in a rush to execute a court-approved search of Biden's offices or homes for the classified documents — a stark contrast to when the feds raided the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Donald Trump in early August.
"The Biden approach was very different in the sense that it looks like it was inadvertent that these documents were at these locations," said Schiff, while subjectively comparing the cases of Biden and Trump. "There was no effort to hold onto them, no effort to conceal them, no effort to obstruct the Justice Department's investigation."
Earlier this week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reaffirmed his pledge to remove Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee.
"[Schiff] put America, for four years, through an impeachment that he knew was a lie," said McCarthy, while referring to the Democrat-controlled Congress's impeachment efforts with then-President Trump in 2020 and 2021.
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