Top lawmakers in Congress were briefed Tuesday on the investigations into classified documents found in the private possession of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, The Associated Press reported.
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines was among the officials who met privately with congressional leaders for roughly an hour, the report said.
Attending the briefing were the House and Senate leaders of both parties and the leaders of both intelligence committees, who comprise what is known as the "Gang of Eight." Lawmakers leaving the briefing declined to specify what was discussed.
Both Republicans and Democrats have long demanded more information from the Biden administration about the successive discoveries of classified documents in the homes of two presidents and a vice president. The US strictly controls who has access to classified material and how they can view it.
Leaders of the intelligence committees have expressed concerns about the possible exposure of highly classified secrets in those documents.
The chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a joint statement that also called for more information about any potential damage.
The Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have declined to share details of their investigations. Attorney General Merrick Garland has directed separate special counsels to review the documents linked to Trump and Biden.
The classified documents saga began when FBI agents raided Trump’s Florida home in August. The investigators seized dozens of boxes of records, including more than 100 documents marked classified.
In January, a White House lawyer said a “small number of documents” with classified markings that are tied to Biden and appear to be from the Obama administration are under review by the Justice Department and National Archives.
The White House later said it had discovered five additional pages of classified documents at Biden's home. Additional documents were later found at the President’s home.
In late January, documents with classified markings were found in Pence’s home. Several weeks later, an additional classified document was found during a voluntary five-hour search of the house.