His comments, which came shortly after a redacted affidavit shed new light on material Trump brought with him to his Palm Beach members’ club, stopped short of judging Trump’s actions. But they still reflect Biden’s more expansive remarks on a topic he and his team have taken pains to keep their distance from. “I’m not going to comment because I don’t know the details. I don’t even want to know. I’ll let the Department of Justice take that,” Biden said. In the days following the FBI’s investigation of Trump’s compound, the former president and his allies claimed that Trump had a “standing order” to declassify documents he moved from the Oval Office to the White House residence. CNN previously reported more than a dozen senior Trump administration officials never heard of any such order being issued while working for Trump, saying they believe the claim is patently false. Biden and his top aides have worked diligently to avoid commenting on the ongoing criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified material. They stated that they learn about the developments only from the media. But some Biden administration officials have said privately that there is internal concern about exactly what Trump took with him and whether it has the potential to harm US national security. Asked Friday if it was ever appropriate to bring classified material home, Biden suggested there were scenarios when it was okay. “It depends on the situation — for example, I have an enclosed space in my house that is completely secure,” he said, describing the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility set up to handle classified information. “I’m taking today’s PDS (Presidential Daily Brief) home with me today. It’s locked. I have a person with me, military with me. I’ve read it. I’m locking it again. I’m giving it to the military,” he said. he said. When asked whether it was appropriate to handle classified material without a specialized domain to do so, Biden said: “It depends on the documents and it depends on how secure everything is.”
