By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-white-house-holds-news-briefing-as-senior-democrats-criticize-biden-over-documents Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: White House holds news briefing amid continuing fallout over found documents Politics Updated on Jan 23, 2023 5:42 PM EDT — Published on Jan 23, 2023 11:41 AM EDT Reporters continued to grill the White House Monday on what President Joe Biden knew or didn’t know after a Friday search of his Delaware home by the FBI, which turned up even more classified documents. Watch the briefing in the player above. “The FBI was invited into the president’s home,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, continuing to maintain Biden takes the matter of classified materials “very seriously.” “As it relates to the American people and the president’s standing with the American people, it is going to be up to them to decide how they see this president,” she said. Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home on Friday, but the lack of a warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of the search. It compounded on the early reports that started in January with the disclosure that the president’s lawyers had found a “small number” of classified records at a former office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington shortly before the Nov. 8 elections. READ MORE: Biden says ‘there’s no there there’ amid scrutiny over documents found at residence The White House has disclosed that Biden’s team found classified documents and official records on three other occasions in recent months — in follow-up searches on Dec. 20 in the garage of his Wilmington home, and on Jan. 11 and 12 in his home library. The discoveries have become a political liability as Biden prepares to kick off his 2024 reelection bid, and they undercut his efforts to portray an image of propriety to the American public after the tumultuous presidency of his predecessor, Trump. Jean-Pierre also addressed Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comments that he would not support Sweden’s bid to join NATO, saying the U.S. position has not changed. “As we have said before, Finland and Sweden are ready to be NATO’s allies,” she said. “As their membership process continues, the United States is fully committed to Finland’s and Sweden’s accession.” Erdogan cast serious doubt on the alliance’s expansion Monday after warning Sweden not to expect support for its bid for membership into the military alliance following weekend protests in Stockholm by an anti-Islam activist and pro-Kurdish groups. Finally, Jean-Pierre said she has “nothing to share” with regard to the news that Biden chief of staff Ron Klain will be stepping down from his role, to be replaced by Jeff Zients, who ran the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of Biden’s term. Jean-Pierre sang Klain’s praises, however saying he has been “an incredible boss” and is responsible for many of Biden’s legislative achievements in his first two years in office. Klain is expected to leave the job in the coming weeks. By — Associated Press Associated Press
Reporters continued to grill the White House Monday on what President Joe Biden knew or didn’t know after a Friday search of his Delaware home by the FBI, which turned up even more classified documents. Watch the briefing in the player above. “The FBI was invited into the president’s home,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, continuing to maintain Biden takes the matter of classified materials “very seriously.” “As it relates to the American people and the president’s standing with the American people, it is going to be up to them to decide how they see this president,” she said. Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home on Friday, but the lack of a warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of the search. It compounded on the early reports that started in January with the disclosure that the president’s lawyers had found a “small number” of classified records at a former office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington shortly before the Nov. 8 elections. READ MORE: Biden says ‘there’s no there there’ amid scrutiny over documents found at residence The White House has disclosed that Biden’s team found classified documents and official records on three other occasions in recent months — in follow-up searches on Dec. 20 in the garage of his Wilmington home, and on Jan. 11 and 12 in his home library. The discoveries have become a political liability as Biden prepares to kick off his 2024 reelection bid, and they undercut his efforts to portray an image of propriety to the American public after the tumultuous presidency of his predecessor, Trump. Jean-Pierre also addressed Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comments that he would not support Sweden’s bid to join NATO, saying the U.S. position has not changed. “As we have said before, Finland and Sweden are ready to be NATO’s allies,” she said. “As their membership process continues, the United States is fully committed to Finland’s and Sweden’s accession.” Erdogan cast serious doubt on the alliance’s expansion Monday after warning Sweden not to expect support for its bid for membership into the military alliance following weekend protests in Stockholm by an anti-Islam activist and pro-Kurdish groups. Finally, Jean-Pierre said she has “nothing to share” with regard to the news that Biden chief of staff Ron Klain will be stepping down from his role, to be replaced by Jeff Zients, who ran the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of Biden’s term. Jean-Pierre sang Klain’s praises, however saying he has been “an incredible boss” and is responsible for many of Biden’s legislative achievements in his first two years in office. Klain is expected to leave the job in the coming weeks.