Joe Biden’s classified document scandal has exploded over the past week, with documents found in three different locations, including in his garage near his Corvette.
But this isn’t the first time that Joe Biden has gotten into trouble over mishandling classified documents.
Greg Burton, a reporter with the Arizona Republic, revealed a prior occasion where Biden had left classified documents lying around, exposing them to him and others.
Burton was visiting Biden’s Vice-Presidential office in the White House to interview Biden about the financial crisis at the time in 2010.
But during the interview, Burton noticed a “Top Secret” document on a table in the office.
“The red warning on the cover caught my attention but my eyes drifted to the then-vice president’s keepsakes, a leather binder and photos of Jill, Beau, Hunter, Ashley and Champ,” recalls Burton. He reflects that the document might have contained anything from “launch codes” to “spy games and terrorism cells,” for all he knows.
Burton was one of several reporters and photographers who had been cleared to interview Biden in his office that day. Jay Carney, who became Obama’s press secretary not long afterward, was Biden’s director of communications at the time and was also in the room.
Biden discussed the Troubled Asset Relief Program and posed for pictures. After an hour and a half, his press secretary, Elizabeth Alexander, drew the interview to a close. Biden waved over one of the photographers with whom he was friendly for a few more snaps, then the group trooped out of the office. That’s when the action took place:
The red cover equals “Top Secret.”
Burton said Carney then realized that they’d seen the document and someone [namely Joe Biden] had screwed up. They raced over to Burton and the photographer.
Carney demanded Fred’s camera.
We said no.
A few tense minutes later, we struck a deal: Fred deleted the offending images. I did not delete the tape but would not publish what I recorded.
And that classified document on Joe’s desk that day?
Could be in Wilmington.
Now obviously that could have been very problematic. And who knows what the other reporters who interviewed Joe Biden that day took away. But this was Joe Biden, perfectly consistent with the Biden we’re seeing now having classified documents spread out over at least three locations.
What happened to that classified document that wasn’t supposed to be out so everyone could see it, that was only supposed to be viewed in a secure room? Was it ever returned to where it was supposed to be or could that be one of the documents that then somehow made its way to Wilmington or the Penn Biden Center?
Biden made that comment about President Donald Trump being “irresponsible” with classified documents when they were in a vault, protected by Secret Service. Talk about projection — Biden is everything he accused Trump of being and more.