Biden says classified leak documents investigation 'getting close'
President Biden said Thursday that federal officials are "getting close" in the investigation into leaked classified documents.
FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is requesting former White House Counsel Dana Remus testify before the panel and provide documents and information as part of its investigation into President Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified records.
Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital that the White House’s "narrative" regarding Biden’s retention of classified records "is unraveling."
"The Oversight Committee’s investigation has obtained several facts that do not support the claims asserted by the Biden team, and we have learned that President Biden has a history of not properly storing classified documents," Comer said. He added that GOP lawmakers on the committee have questions about "why the White House Counsel’s Office tasked a Department of Defense employee on May 24, 2022—the same day as the subpoena return date for former President Trump—to complete a personal task for President Biden by packing up Penn Biden Center."
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13: White House Counsel Dana Remus (L) and Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer O'Malley Dillon depart the White House on July 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. Center. ((Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images))
Comer was referring to testimony from Kathy Chung, a former executive assistant from Biden's time as vice president, who currently serves as an employee for the Department of Defense.
Chung testified before the committee earlier this week, revealing that Remus contacted her in May 2022 on her personal phone, and tasked her with retrieving and packing boxes of documents from the Penn Biden Center.
The White House and the president’s attorneys, though, have said classified documents were not discovered until November 2022.
Chung testified that Remus called her in May 2022 on her private phone regarding the packing of boxes of records at the Penn Biden Center. Chung testified that she did so on June 28, 2022.
Chung explained that she was unaware that there were alleged classified documents at the Penn Biden Center until November 2022, when counsel for the president discovered their existence. The existence of those classified records were only revealed to the public in January—after the 2022 midterm elections.
FILE: House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
MAR-A-LAGO STAFFERS SUBPOENAED FOR TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT INVESTIGATION
"The Oversight Committee needs information from Dana Remus to further inform our investigation about President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents in order to deliver answers, transparency, and accountability for the American people," Comer told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the letter Comer sent to Remus, demanding her testimony. He said the committee obtained information that "contradicts important details from the White House’s and President Biden’s personal attorney’s statements about the discovery of documents at the Penn Biden Center, including the location and security of the classified documents."
"The Committee has learned that you were a central figure in the early stages of coordinating the packing and moving of boxes that were later found to contain classified materials," Comer wrote, noting that Chung’s testimony has raised questions, and has led committee investigators to identify Remus "as a witness with potentially unique knowledge" about the matter.
President Biden Speaks At The House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference In Baltimore. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Comer wrote that the committee specifically is seeking clarification regarding the timeline of events prior to Nov. 2, 2022—the day the White House and Biden’s personal attorneys claim classified documents were first discovered at the Penn Biden Center.
Comer also questioned Remus’ timing of first contacting Chung, flagging that the first contact on May 24, 2022, was "notably" the same day the Justice Department had dated a subpoena return date for former President Donald Trump to turn over any classified records being held at Mar-a-Lago.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR: TIMELINE OF BIDEN'S CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS DEBACLE
Comer, in the letter, also used Chung’s testimony to allege Biden’s "haphazard handling of classified materials," saying it could lead to "possible threats to national security."
Comer demanded Remus turn over all communications with Chung; employees of the Penn Biden Center; and all documents and communications regarding Biden’s documents and items stored at the Penn Biden Center.
"The Committee requests that you make yourself available for a transcribed interview with Committee staff," Comer wrote, noting that Remus should contact the committee by May 30.
Remus left the Biden administration last year and joined Covington & Burling LLP as a partner.
Remus did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
The White House declined to comment.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland, in January, appointed former U.S. Attorney Rob Hur to serve as special counsel to investigate Biden's alleged mishandling of classified records.
Garland, in November, appointed former DOJ official Jack Smith as special counsel to investigate the issue of classified records allegedly being held by Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
In January, former Vice President Mike Pence informed Congress he had also discovered documents bearing classified markings in his Carmel, Indiana, home from his time in the Trump administration. Garland did not appoint a special counsel to investigate the Pence records.
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