Republicans want Biden home visitor logs - but not Trump's - Reuters

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[1/6] Secret Service unit parkland vehicles successful the driveway starring to U.S. President Joe Biden's location aft classified documents were reported recovered determination by the White House successful Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The Republican president of the House Oversight Committee connected Sunday demanded visitant logs for President Joe Biden's location successful Wilmington, Delaware, aft classified documents were recovered successful his bureau and garage.

"Without a database of individuals who person visited his residence, the American radical volition ne'er cognize who had entree to these highly delicate documents," Representative James Comer said successful a missive to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain dated Sunday.

Republicans person sought to comparison the Biden documents case, which involves worldly from his clip arsenic vice president, with that of erstwhile President Donald Trump, who faces a national transgression probe of however helium handled classified documents aft helium near the White House successful 2021. But ineligible experts accidental determination are stark contrasts betwixt the 2 cases.

Comer said helium would not question visitant logs for Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, wherever much than 100 classified documents - immoderate of them labeled apical concealed - were recovered successful an FBI search.

"I don't consciousness similar we request to walk a full batch of clip due to the fact that the Democrats person done that for the past six years," helium said successful an interrogation Sunday with CNN.

Trump has announced helium would question the presidency again successful 2024, with Biden arsenic his expected Democratic rival.

The Biden disclosures emerged past week aft his ineligible squad said it had recovered classified documents relating to his clip arsenic vice president successful the Obama medication astatine his Delaware home. His lawyers connected Saturday reported uncovering five further pages astatine his home.

Top concealed worldly was included successful immoderate of the 10 oregon truthful documents recovered astatine the Penn Biden Center deliberation tank, CBS reported connected Sunday, citing an unidentified instrumentality enforcement source. The White House had nary remark connected the report. A typical for Biden's idiosyncratic lawyer, Bob Bauer, did not instrumentality a petition for comment.

There is nary ineligible request that U.S. presidents disclose visitors astatine their location oregon astatine the White House. The Biden medication reinstated disclosures of authoritative guests to the White House and released its archetypal batch of records successful May 2021. Former President Donald Trump had suspended the signifier soon aft helium took bureau successful 2017.

TRUMP VS. BIDEN DOCUMENT ISSUES

Republicans successful the U.S. House of Representatives launched an probe connected Friday into the Justice Department's handling of improperly stored classified documents possessed by Biden. Comer's committee is besides reviewing the case.

The probe comes arsenic Trump is nether national transgression probe for mishandling classified documents aft his presidency.

In the Biden case, the president's lawyers informed the National Archives and Justice Department astir uncovering a tiny fig of documents astatine a deliberation vessel successful Washington and aboriginal astatine Biden's Wilmington home.

In Trump's case, the National Archives tried for much than a twelvemonth aft Trump near bureau to retrieve each of the records helium retained, without success. When Trump yet returned 15 boxes of documents successful January 2022, Archives officials discovered they contained classified materials.

After the substance was referred to the Justice Department, Trump's lawyers handed implicit much worldly from Trump's Mar-a-Lago location and said determination were nary much documents connected the premises.

That turned retired to beryllium false. In the end, the FBI recovered an further 13,000 documents, astir 100 of which were marked classified, from the estate.

House Democrats introduced the "Mar-a-Lago Act" successful 2017 that would necessitate Trump to regularly disclose visitors to his Florida home, but it was ne'er voted connected successful the enclosure oregon afloat Congress.

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, the outgoing House Intelligence Committee chairman, said Congress should question an appraisal from the U.S. quality assemblage connected whether immoderate documents, from either Trump oregon Biden, jeopardized nationalist security.

"I don't deliberation we tin exclude the anticipation without knowing much of the facts," Schiff said connected ABC's "This Week."

Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Heather Timmons and Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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