(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden is facing mounting criticism from all corners of the political world over the discovery of classified documents at his Delaware home, and a former Trump White House official believes the whole ordeal is a “gift” to Biden’s predecessor.
Six more classified documents were found in Biden’s Delaware home after a 13-hour search conducted by the FBI over the weekend, the White House said. The continuous stream of revelations is prompting criticism from those in Biden’s own party.
In an interview with CNN, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin conceded Biden has lost the “high ground” in his ability to criticize former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents.
Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton agrees.
Speaking Monday on NewsNation’s “CUOMO,” Bolton called the situation a “self-inflicted wound” by Biden that will make it difficult for Attorney General Merrick Garland to prosecute Trump.
“It’s a gift to Trump,” Bolton said. “If you were to indict a former president and fail to convict him in the current environment, it would be a disaster for the Justice Department. There’s a longstanding department policy not to prosecute sitting presidents, so can you imagine now going after Trump but not going after Biden? I just don’t see it.”
The FBI’s discovery Friday marked the fifth disclosure of classified documents tied to Biden. The level of classification is still unknown.
The White House has sought to differentiate Biden’s case from Trump’s, saying they voluntarily allowed the “thorough and consensual FBI search,” where agents collected materials from Biden’s time in the Senate and vice presidency.
From a policy standpoint, Bolton hopes the two episodes will serve as a broader lesson for the thousands of other government employees who handle classified documents on a daily basis.
“If (those employees) are not sensitive to the risks involved, we’re going to get a lot more dispersion of classified documents and a lot more damage. If a former president and a former vice president aren’t careful with classified information, what is the lesson that teaches?” Bolton said. “I hope the government, for example, does something in the transition-out process for presidents and vice presidents to prevent this from happening again.”