Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) on Sunday called President Biden’s comments last year about former President Trump’s handling of classified documents “embarrassing” amid the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s own residence.
“Well, it’s certainly embarrassing,” Stabenow told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
But the Michigan senator said that though the recent discovery of “a small number” of classified documents from Biden’s time as vice president at an old Washington, D.C., office and at his Wilmington, Del., home was an embarrassing slip-up, she emphasized that the Biden team has cooperated with authorities on the matter.
“They don’t think it’s the right thing and they’ve been moving to correct it, working with the Department of Justice, working with everyone involved, with the archives. So, from my perspective, it’s one of those moments that, obviously, they wish hadn’t happened,” Stabenow, who announced earlier this month that she would not seek reelection, said.
Republicans were outraged by the FBI search of Trump’s home last year, which was prompted when the former president failed to cooperate with requests from the National Archives to return documents from his time in office. Now, many in the party have seized on the discovery of documents at Biden’s home, calling the president hypocritical and pushing for investigations.
“What I’m most concerned about, and this is the kind of thing that Republicans love … ‘Let’s talk about investigations. Let’s create chaos’ … They don’t want to talk with us about how to move the country forward,” Stabenow said on Sunday.
She said that the chaos of criticisms and investigations is “where the Republicans feel comfortable, unfortunately.”