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The U.S. Secret Service is now saying that it does have some records regarding who visited President Joe Biden’s Delaware residence where several classified documents were found in a less than secure manner, stored in boxes inside his garage.
After the initial report that the documents were discovered, congressional Republicans demanded to see visitor logs from the Biden residence but were told by the agency that because it is a private home, no official visitor logs were kept.
As reported by the New York Post, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi claimed Monday that “we don’t independently maintain our own visitor logs because it’s a private residence.”
“The Secret Service doesn’t maintain visitor logs at the private residences of protectees. The visitor logs that are kept at government buildings are part of the National Archives and Records Administration, and while we have access to those, we are not the custodian of those records and logs,” he added, according to The New York Times.
However, on Friday, Guglielmi said that “the Secret Service does generate law enforcement and criminal justice information records for various individuals who may come into contact with Secret Service protected sites.”
Also, the outlet noted, Fox News quoted an unnamed source who promised that “the Secret Service is prepared to provide available background information on vetted guests to Biden’s residence if requested by Congress.”
“While the White House has not kept a formal list, the Secret Service does collect information on guests with regular access to the home. Retention of the names of those vetted by the Secret Service depends on a variety of factors, including proximity to the president and the nature of the background check,” said Fox News.
The Post added:
The agency’s initial statement that it had no information to provide to journalists or members of Congress caused an uproar, with Republican lawmakers floating subpoenas for Biden’s family members and staff to plug the gaps in documentation.
“There are several avenues to obtain information on who had access to classified documents at the Wilmington residence, and the Oversight Committee will pursue those avenues,” a spokesman for the House Oversight Committee told the outlet.
The Post reported in April 2022 the Secret Service denied having visitor logs for Biden’s residence as reports at the time noted that a federal investigation into allegations involving Hunter Biden was ramping up. Recent reports noted that the first son was staying at the residence for a time, and had been involved in making foreign business deals while there — all with classified documents on the premises.
It’s unclear if Joe Biden had the authority to have them; Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned a special counsel to investigate.
Former President Donald Trump has weighed in on the fact that the Secret Service said there are no visitor logs from the Wilmington, Del., home of Biden.
“The White House just announced that there are no LOGS or information of any kind on visitors to the Wilmington house and flimsy, unlocked, and unsecured, but now very famous, garage. Maybe they are smarter than we think! This is one of the seemingly many places where HIGHLY CLASSIFIED documents are stored (in a big pile on the damp floor),” the former president noted on Truth Social.
“Mar-a-Lago is a highly secured facility, with Security Cameras all over the place, and watched over by staff & our great Secret Service. I have INFO on everyone!” he said.
Investigative reporter Paul Sperry revealed in a social media post on Monday that a “rumor” circulating in Washington, D.C., is suggestive of who may have been responsible for the news that Biden retained a collection of classified documents after he left office as then-President Barack Obama’s VP.
Sperry wrote on Twitter: “NEW: Speculation growing on Hill that US Attorney David C. Weiss, the Delaware prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden, may have pressured the sudden ‘discovery’ of Biden’s private, far-flung stash of classified White House materials.”
NEW: Speculation growing on Hill that US Attorney David C. Weiss, the Delaware prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden, may have pressured the sudden "discovery" of Biden's private, far-flung stash of classified White House materials
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) January 12, 2023
