Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that President Joe Biden’s comments last year about former President Trump’s handling of classified documents were “embarrassing” after the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s residence.
Anchor Chuck Todd said, “Let me start with what we’ve been dealing with President Biden and these classified documents. When you look at the timeline, and it files like a drip, drip, drip, how concerned are you that perhaps the White House is holding back information a bit too much, leaving Democrats out there like yourself in the dark on what to defend or not?”
Stabenow said, “This is very much on how it’s being handled. So President Biden is bringing things forward, they found a small number of documents, they want to make sure there aren’t more, they take it seriously, and they’re talking to all the right people. They’re not going to defy subpoenas or require FBI raids to get the documents. The president isn’t saying that somehow magically when he is thinking about classified documents, he can declassify them. I mean, it’s totally different right now. Both serious, in terms of having classified documents, but the president is doing the right thing.”
Todd said, “You know, the president said what Donald Trump did was careless. Are those words he has to eat?”
Stabenow said, “Well, it’s certainly embarrassing.”
She continued, “It’s embarrassing that you would find a small number of documents, certainly not on purpose. 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.”