Top Democrat: Classified documents scandal has diminished Biden’s stature

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Sunday that he thinks the discovery of classified documents at President Biden’s private residence and office harms the president’s stature, saying it “is not supposed to happen.”

“When that information is found, it diminishes the stature of any person who is in possession of it, because it’s not supposed to happen,” Durbin said on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash.

“Whether it was the fault of a staffer or attorney, it makes no difference,” Durbin, the second-highest-ranking Senate Democrat, added. “The elected official bears ultimate responsibility.”

Biden has come under intense scrutiny after the discovery of classified information dating back to his years in the Senate and as vice president in the Obama administration. Republicans have pounced on the opportunity to criticize the president, while Democrats have generally voiced support for a Department of Justice investigation into the matter. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced earlier this month that he was appointing a special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents. While members of the president’s party have supported the move, they, including Durbin, have been quick to point out the differences between Biden’s cooperation with law enforcement and former President Trump’s attitude toward a similar investigation he is facing.

The FBI searched Trump’s Florida home last year after he refused to fully comply with a subpoena related to classified information from his administration and found more than 100 classified documents.

Durbin stressed on Sunday that Biden invited law enforcement to search his home.

“Donald Trump defied those who knew the documents were in place and ultimately led to, involuntarily, a court order and a search of his Mar-a-Lago hotel resort to find out how many documents were there,” Durbin said. “Contrast that with Joe Biden. Embarrassed by the situation, as he should have been, he invited the government agencies in to carefully look through all the boxes he had accumulated. It’s a much different approach.”

House Republicans have also opened their own inquiries into Biden’s classified documents.