Strategist Symone Sanders said Thursday on MSNBC that it was upsetting to see Democrats criticize President Joe Biden’s lack of transparency and handling of classified documents.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted a second search Wednesday on Biden’s Delaware home after documents were found there on Jan. 20.
Host Willie Geist asked whether the Biden administration has handled the situation well.
“I think they have done a very good job at trying to keep the information flowing, but also not jeopardizing themselves with the Department of Justice,” Sanders said. “I do think, though, there is an argument they should have been proactive and not waited for someone else to break the news. I think this is a situation where they were damned if they do, damned if they don’t. So the outcome would have been the same.”
“In terms of Democrats, I’m just very shocked to continue to hear Democrats do the line posturing, if you will, ‘oh well, all the classified documents are important.’ Let’s just be very clear: Donald Trump took documents from the White House. When he found out he had them, he said they were his and he wasn’t going to give them back. The FBI had to go and get them after much negotiation. Joe Biden’s staff were closing up an office and they found these documents, called up the National Archives … I need people to understand this is not the same thing.”
Sanders said, however, that there need to be “protocols” in place.
Several Democrats and left-leaning members of corporate media have criticized Biden’s handling of the document scandal.
California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said it was a “real problem” that documents were discovered at Biden’s residence.
“I have a deep concern over anytime we discover that there are classified information in materials anywhere they shouldn’t be,” Schiff told MSNBC, adding that the intelligence community needs to do a full assessment to ensure there “hasn’t been any compromise of the information.” (RELATED: CNN Host Presses Dem Gov On Whether Biden Was Wrong To Hide Docs For Months)
Schiff had earlier said it is possible that Biden’s handling of the documents “jeopardized” national security.
Fellow California Rep. Ro Khanna also said “those documents shouldn’t have been there.”
“I really don’t understand how those documents got into a personal residence and we do need answers on that,” Khanna said.
Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill said it is always a “huge concern” to see “classified documents not being handled correctly.”
West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin called Biden’s handling “irresponsible.”