Biden has defended storing the documents at a storage space in his home garage, saying on Thursday that “it’s not like they’re sitting in the street.”
But critics on social media were not satisfied with Biden’s defense.
“I hope Joe Biden’s Corvette is at least a hybrid, if not fully electric,” tweeted Nick Adams, a conservative author and outspoken Donald Trump supporter.
Meanwhile, British sports commentator Ross Dyer wrote “I can’t even…”
“Joe Biden takes classified documents so seriously, guys, that he keeps them by his Corvette in the garage. I’m sold. Nothing says this really matters to me like keeping it in the garage, the universal place where Americans put things they aren’t willing to keep in the house,” tweeted Clay Travis, a radio host and TV analyst.
“Biden’s Corvette going for a spin! #BidenClassifiedDocuments #JackPosobiec,” said Twitter user @jsbhulme, along with an image of Biden in the car next to a folder labeled “classified.”
“Biden’s had too many Boosters. Maybe he liked to go on joy rides in his Corvette with the classified documents? Maybe the classified documents afforded him the ability to buy the Corvette? The real question… Did he keep the nuclear codes in the glovebox?” Twitter user and self-described political influencer Ryan Cunningham said jokingly.
News about classified documents found at Biden’s residence came shortly after the announcement that an earlier batch of confidential records was found on November 2 at an office that the president previously used.
The president was delivering a speech on Thursday about the economy and ongoing inflation, when he was asked by reporters about the second set of classified documents that he kept.
“I’m gonna get a chance to speak on all of this, God willing, soon…by the way my Corvette’s in a locked garage, okay? So, it’s not like they’re sitting in the street,” Biden responded. “But as I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified materials seriously.”
The initial batch of classified government documents was found by Biden’s attorneys in his former office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement think tank in Washington, D.C.
The president told reporters on Tuesday that he was “surprised” to learn about his lawyers making the discovery and reiterated on Thursday that his team and attorneys are “cooperating fully and completely with the Justice Department’s review.”
“They finished the review last night,” Biden said. “They discovered a small number of documents with classified markings in storage areas and filing cabinets in my home and personal library.”
Biden said that the Department of Justice was immediately informed about the classified records and that his lawyers arranged for authorities to retrieve the documents.
The batch of records that was initially discovered had 10 classified documents, including materials related to U.S. intelligence and memos about Ukraine, Iran and the United Kingdom, CNN reported.
The Presidential Records Act stipulates that White House records should be submitted to the National Archives at the end of a president’s term. Classified records should also be kept in secure locations, which was not the case when former President Donald Trump stored hundreds of highly classified documents that were retrieved by the FBI in August from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“So, now we have top secret papers found in Biden’s garage stashed next to his Corvette that I pray to God he doesn’t drive anymore! Are we now allowed to talk about this s*** show or are we still stuck on Trump?” Twitter user @AubryJones360 said on Thursday.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he declassified those documents before moving them from the White House. The Justice Department is currently investigating Trump’s mishandling of the classified documents.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
Update 1/12/2023, 1:15 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.