Washington.- President Biden is facing a setback from some members of his own party over the mishandling of sensitive documents as his allies express growing concern that the case could get in the way of the momentum the Democrats received from the midterm elections .
Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said it was “unacceptable” that secret documents were found at Biden’s home.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan called the crisis “shameful,” Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia said the president should be “very sorry.”
The documents case has put Biden in an awkward position after the new year kicked off with plans for a cross-country victory tour to celebrate his administration’s legislative achievements.
Now, Republicans are poised to make the documents a 2024 campaign issue, while members of Biden’s own party are openly criticizing it.
Justice Department investigators found more than half a dozen documents, some of them classified, at Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday — the latest series of discoveries to prompt an investigation by special counsel.
The case has drawn uncomfortable parallels with the investigation into former President Donald J. Trump’s handling of sensitive documents, even as there are significant differences between the two.
The White House has tried to emphasize that Biden has collaborated with authorities, inviting them to search his home, while Trump defied efforts to recover the documents even after receiving a subpoena, prompting a judge to issue a search warrant.
