McConnell defends Senate’s ‘reasonable’ push for info on Biden classified documents

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday urged the Department of Justice to cooperate with his Senate colleagues who have called for detailed information about the classified documents found at President Biden’s Delaware home and former office in Washington.

McConnell emphasized that Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), the Republican vice chairman on the panel, are unified in pressing the administration for more information about classified documents previously in Biden’s and former President Trump’s personal possession.

“I think the bipartisan request of Chairman Warner and Vice Chairman Rubio is entirely reasonable,” McConnell said, adding that what they’re asking for “will not interfere with these ongoing criminal investigations.”  

“I hope the administration will come up with a better answer than no, which is apparently [what] the chairman and vice chairman were told recently,” he said. “Their request to find out exactly what kind of documents were in improper custody seems to be squarely within their oversight mission on the Intel Committee.” 

Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that he would speak with Warner “about what our next steps should be.”

“The ideal world is one in which the intelligence agencies recognize that we have oversight … that there really is no rational reason not to provide us insight into what those materials were,” he said.  

The senator added that if the intelligence agencies continue to block Congress access to the documents, “we’ll take measures to ensure that they understand our displeasure.” 

Rubio told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday that the Department of Justice has refused to share information about the classified documents found at Biden’s and Trump’s residences, citing agency probes into the handling of those documents.

“Their answer is that it would imperil the investigation,” Rubio said. “It’s a silly letter. It’s a ridiculous letter. It doesn’t even answer the question we asked.”