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BBC Pidgin of Sunday, 22 January 2023

Source: BBC

Why US Department of Justice dey search President Biden house for

Dem don appoint one special counsel to chook eye into di Biden classified files Dem don appoint one special counsel to chook eye into di Biden classified files

US Department of Justice (DoJ) investigators don find six more secret documents for di house of President Joe Biden for Delaware afta dem search di house for 13-hour according to one oga Biden lawyer.

Some documents wey dem seize for im Wilmington property on Friday na from di time wen e be senator and odas from im tenure as vice-president under Barack Obama.

Lawyer Bob Bauer say di investigators also carry "personally handwritten notes" and "surrounding materials".

Oga Biden and im wife no dey present.

Dis mata dey come afta oga Biden predecessor, Donald Trump, face im own justice department investigate say e carry sensitive materials go im Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, afta im presidency.

However, President Biden bin grant access "to im house to allow DoJ conduct search for di entire premises for potential vice-presidential records and potential classified material", Oga Bauer tok for inside one statement on Saturday.

Earlier dis month, oga Biden lawyers tok say dem see di first batch of classified documents on 2 November for di Penn Biden Center, one think-tank wey di president start for Washington DC.

Dem discover di second batch of records on 20 December for di garage of im Wilmington home, dem also see anoda document for one storage space for di house on 12 January, im lawyers tok.

Afta dem see di documents, di president say im team immediately hand dem over to di National Archives and di Justice Department.

E neva dey clear why Mr Biden keep dem.

Wetin dey di secret documents

President Joe Biden tok say e surprise to learn for November say dem discover secret files for im former private office.

"I no know wetin dey di documents," e tok.

Mr Biden say im no dey wetin dey di recovered papers.

And until we know more about wetin dem contain, e go dey difficult to state exactly how serious dis be. Some details, however, don begin to comot.

Sources tell CNN and di New York Times say di first set of 10 classified documents include briefing materials on foreign kontris – wey include Ukraine, Iran and United Kingdom - from Mr Biden time as vice-president.

And according to CNN, dem mix dis documents wit oda non-classified papers, wey include details about di funeral of Beau Biden, di president son, wey die for 2015.

Dem also report say some of di documents dey labelled as top secret, di highest level of classification.

For di second set of documents. Mr Biden personal lawyer issue one statement wey tok say di files na "Obama-Biden Administration records" wey mean say e date back to im eight years as vice-president.

Di White House later say dem don complete di search for di remaining classified documents. 

Oga Biden keep classified documents for house?

Afta dem see di documents, di president say im team immediately hand dem ova give di National Archives plus di Justice Department.

E no dey clear why Mr Biden bin hide dem.

Under di Presidential Records Act, White House records suppose go di National Archives once one administration end, where dem go fit secure dem well-well.

Dem don appoint one special counsel, Robert Hur, to lead di investigation into how dem handle di sensitive documents.

Di long search and subsequent discovery of more documents na political headache for di president, as e dey prepare to declare whether e go run for a second term for 2024.

Oga Biden and im wife, Jill, dey spend di weekend for coastal town of Rehoboth Beach for Delaware, wia dem get another house.

Dem bin search di house earlier dis month and no see any documents for there, im lawyers tok according to di New York Times.

Wetin dis secret document investigation mean for President Joe Biden

Di two-month gap between di first Biden discovery – wey happun days before di midterm elections - and wen di news enta public for January don raise awkward questions for di president about transparency, BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher tok.

Mr Biden team insist say di president cooperate fully wit di DoJ inquiry.

Mr Biden bin play down di affair say na oversight. E say im "no get regrets" say im no publicly disclose di discovery of some classified files before di November midterm elections.

Di discovery dey come as former US President Donald Trump dey also face probe over im alleged mishandling of hundreds of classified documents for im Florida Mar-a-Lago residence and im alleged failure to comply wit a subpoena.

Oga Trump and im lawyers bin no gree handover di documents until di FBI raid im Florida holiday home last August.

He allege say dem di FBI dey favour President Biden wit di way dem dey treat am.