Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that the Democratic president’s mishandling of sensitive materials may have “jeopardized” national security, dealing a devastating blow to the White House.
Jonathan Karl of ABC News questioned Schiff if Biden “jeopardized” national security by storing top-secret papers in various private places.
“I don’t think we can exclude the possibility without knowing more of the facts,” Schiff said.
“We have asked for an assessment in the intelligence community of the Mar-a-Lago documents.
“I think we ought to get that same assessment of the documents found in the – in the think tank, as well as the home of President Biden.
“I’d like to know what these documents were.
“I’d like to know what the IC’s assessment is, whether there was any risk of exposure and what the harm would be and whether any mitigation needs to be done.
“I think that would be appropriate and consistent with what we requested in the case of Mar-a-Lago.”
Karl asked Schiff if the WH should “have been more forthcoming.
“Should this information have been revealed earlier?”
Schiff said:
“I think the administration will need to answer that question.
“I’m going to reserve judgment until they do.
“But I think it’s important to point out that the Biden approach was very different in the sense that it looks, as far as we can tell, that it was inadvertent that these documents were in these locations.
“When they were discovered, they were immediately provided to The Archives or to the Justice Department.
“There was no effort to hold on to them, no effort to conceal them, no effort to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation.
“All of that is a very sharp contrast to Donald Trump’s handling of the situation.
“So, as you point out, this is a very different matter. But, nonetheless, I think it’s appropriate for special counsel to look into both situations.”
Schiff said of Garland appointing a special counsel to investigate the scandal:
“I do think it’s the right move.
“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.
“And here, I don’t think he had any choice but to appoint a special counsel. And I think that special counsel will do the proper assessment.
“I still would like to see Congress do its own assessment of — and receive an assessment from the intelligence community of whether there was an exposure to others of these documents, whether there was harm to national security, on the case of either set of documents with either president.
“But, yes, I think the special counsel was appropriately appointed.”
WATCH:
Rep. Adam Schiff, a former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, tells @JonKarl that Attorney General Garland made the right move by appointing a special counsel in Biden documents case.
“I still would like to see Congress do its own assessment.” https://t.co/ndQmL4Gr7U pic.twitter.com/Tcaen00Q9W
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 15, 2023
"We have asked for an assessment in the intelligence community of the Mar-a-Lago documents," Rep. Schiff tells @JonKarl.
"I think we ought to get that same assessment of the documents found in the think tank, as well as the home of Pres. Biden.” https://t.co/ndQmL4Gr7U pic.twitter.com/jyAANuvTLP
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 15, 2023