U.S. officials have offered to brief Congressional leaders on the investigation into classified documents found on the properties of President Biden, former President Trump and former Vice President Pence, sources told several news outlets on Sunday.
The officials have not scheduled the briefing yet, however, as those Congressional leaders are likely first be briefed on U.S.-China relations following the military’s shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that floated over the U.S. last week.
The proposed briefing on classified documents is reportedly a response to bipartisan backlash because the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice have not informed Congressional intelligence leaders about the documents and their importance to U.S. security. On Sunday, House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-OH) said on NBC’s Meet the Press that officials had offered to brief the Gang of Eight—the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate and of both Intelligence Committees.
Pence is reportedly in discussions with the DOJ to allow the FBI to conduct a search of his home in Carmel, Indiana. It follows the disclosure last month that an attorney for Pence had discovered about a dozen documents marked classified at the home.
That revelation came in the wake of discoveries of classified materials at President Biden’s private office and residence. Biden had voluntarily agreed to an FBI search in late January of his home in Wilmington, Delaware, which uncovered six documents in addition to materials previously found at the Wilmington residence and his private office.
Last week, a search of Biden’s vacation home in Rehoboth Beach turned up no additional classified documents.
Meanwhile, there have been no publicized reports of any FBI search of former President Trump’s other properties—including Manhattan and Bedminster, NJ—since the August FBI search warrant upon his Mar-a-Lago residence uncovered hundreds of documents marked classified.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed special counsels—Jack Smith and Robert Hur—to investigate the Trump and Biden classified documents cases, respectively.
Any briefing is not expected to include direct access to the classified or other documents that were seized, according to sources.
