A small batch of classified documents that former Vice President Joe Biden had no right to retain has caused controversy for the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, where Biden had a former office. Last fall, the sensitive documents were found in a locked closet at the center as Biden’s lawyers were packing up his former office. The discovery poses a difficulty for Biden just as he contemplates a 2024 reelection campaign.
The center’s budget and hiring practices are being questioned by Congressional Republicans. As it did at Biden’s Delaware home, the FBI may search the premises for more documents. Biden received roughly $900,000 from the university over about two years, according to his tax returns. Biden also spoke on campus on top of his work at the center.
Having served in foreign policy positions for presidents Reagan, Bush, and Trump, Elliott Abrams said that the center has yet to develop as an influential organization. The center’s staff continued to conduct research and serve as experts for the media, but there has been no new work listed on the center’s website for the past ten or so months.
Between May 2017 and June 2019, Secretary of State Antony Blinken served as the center’s managing director. Biden’s senior counselor Steve Ricchetti was also a center employee. At least seven other Biden staffers were at the center and are currently involved in national security matters in the administration.
Biden told reporters he was surprised to discover the documents were at the center, and he immediately turned over the records to the Justice Department. As a result of the discovery of the papers, Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate. Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI to search his home.
According to an anonymous source familiar with the matter, former officials from all levels of government turn over classified material to the authorities several times a year.
Several House Republicans investigating mishandling of classified materials have criticized the Penn Biden Center for storing classified documents in their possession. According to Republican requests, the center should provide employees’ dates of employment and salaries, visitor logs, and security-related documents and communications.
An IRS complaint has also been filed about the hiring of Biden and his allies by a right-leaning legal group led by former Trump advisers.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has suggested that the Penn Biden Center received tens of millions in foreign gifts from Chinese patrons. While donors from Ireland, Hong Kong, Canada, India, Japan, and Brazil have also contributed to the university recently, the House has focused on donations from China.
In response to the investigations, the university released a statement saying that they would promptly address the committee’s questions but that they have never solicited gifts for the center. A total of $1,100 was also received in three unsolicited gifts from two donors. The center’s budget comes solely from university funds, with the total academic operating budget for the university being roughly $4 billion. Officials from the Penn Biden Center did not say how much of that budget goes to center operations.
Finally, the university clarified in its statement, “It is important to reiterate that the Penn Biden Center has never solicited or received any gifts from any Chinese or other foreign entity.”
