The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Donna Robert
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer on Monday demanded that the Secret Service turn over all documents, communications and visitor records from President Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, where several stashes of government secrets have been found.
The letter comes after more classified documents from Mr. Biden’s time in the U.S. Senate and as vice president turned up at the residence when searched on Friday by Justice Department investigators.
“The U.S. Secret Service protected President Biden during the time he stored these classified materials at his Wilmington residency,” wrote Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican. “Given the White House’s lack of transparency regarding President Biden’s residential visitor logs, the Committee seeks information from the Secret Service regarding who had access to his home since serving as Vice President.”
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Media.
It is normal for retired vice presidents not to have Secret Service protection once they leave office. However, Mr. Biden had Secret Service protection as a presidential candidate and then as president, which would overlap some of the time the documents were stored at the residence.
Since taking office, Mr. Biden has made 52 trips totaling 164 days to his Wilmington home.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi last week said that the agency doesn’t track who comes and goes from Mr. Biden’s home because it is a private residence.
Days later, he reversed course and acknowledged the Secret Service does have information about who has visited Mr. Biden’s Wilmington residence.
“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,” he said in a statement.
The White House has released visitor logs from the White House but not from Mr. Biden’s Wilmington home or his vacation house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Visitor logs for presidential residences are traditionally made public, though former President Donald Trump did not release records for the White House or his other residences.
Responding to a Freedom of Information Act request from The New York Post last fall, the Secret Service said at the time that the search for visitor logs “produced no responsive records.”
Since classified documents were first found at Mr. Biden’s Wilmington home in December, Republicans have demanded the White House turn over the visitor logs.
“The more evidence that is revealed shows the need for true oversight that will shine a light on any and all illegal activity. We need to know why President Biden has refused to release his visitor logs at his Delaware residences while classified documents were hidden in the garage when foreign visitors with off-the-books meetings could have had access to this information,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican.
Ms. Stefanik said the issue is one of national security.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, Pennsylvania Republican, also called for more transparency.
“Biden hid in his basement during the 2020 campaign. Biden hid classified documents in his garage. What else is Biden hiding in his home,” he tweeted.
