White House defends releasing incomplete information about classified documents

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

The White House offered its most robust — if still extremely limited — explanation of why it has repeatedly released incomplete information about classified documents located in President Joe Biden’s private office and home, insisting Tuesday that protecting the Justice Department’s investigation means restricting which details can be released publicly.

“I understand that there’s a tension between protecting and safeguarding the integrity of an ongoing investigation with providing information publicly appropriate with that,” said Ian Sams, a spokesman for the White House Counsel’s Office.

He said that as the Justice Department, and now a special counsel, investigates the matter, it was “natural” that some information would evolve.

“In any investigation, as an investigation is ongoing, especially an investigation where people are cooperative and are working hand-in-hand with the department to review these matters, information is going to develop,” he said. “That’s a natural part of any investigation.”

“As searches were underway, looking for additional documents to be properly handed back to the government, you know, we wanted to be respectful to try to provide as as complete information as we could, trying to balance with the need to provide that information to you all consistent with the investigation,” he went on.

The White House has faced criticism, even from some Democrats, over how it has handled the matter related to Biden’s handling of classified documents. That includes what it disclosed and when, including failing to say that additional documents had been found at Biden’s home when initially revealing documents were found at his office.

Even as the White House sought to justify their messaging efforts, a number of questions about the matter remained unanswered. That included whether Biden himself would testify before the special counsel, Robert Hur, who is investigating the situation.

“We’re not going to get ahead of that process with the special counsel and speculate on what they may or may not want or ask for,” Sams said.

When CNN’s MJ Lee asked why Biden’s personal lawyers were involved in cleaning out his Washington office, Sams noted the work was sensitive, given its occupant.

“I think it’s important to note you know, this is the President of the United States, and these are personal materials. And, you know, his trusted aides were doing the work of cleaning out the office and so I think that that’s self-explanatory,” he said.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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