Among the multiple interviews by federal investigators in the initial review of President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents was his personal attorney Patrick Moore, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Moore, who made the initial discovery of classified material while packing up Biden’s former think tank office, played a central role in how the document discovery unfolded.
A total of approximately 20 classified documents from Biden’s time as vice president have been found at his former office at the Penn Biden Center and later at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, according to the White House. Biden’s team turned over the classified material from the Penn Biden Center to the National Archives the day after finding them in early November.
Moore also turned over a set of non-classified personal documents to the Archives, including speeches and reference material that had been sent from the Penn Biden Center to Moore’s law office in Boston, a source briefed on the matter said.
Moore did not respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Biden’s personal legal team declined to comment.
US Attorney John Lausch’s office handled the initial review, and the Biden documents investigation is now in the hands of Robert Hur, who was appointed special counsel last week. Hur, who is still assembling his team, will build off of Lausch’s work and may re-interview some witnesses in what is now a criminal investigation.
The interview with Moore by Lausch’s office wasn’t memorialized in a “302” – the form that the government uses to summarize formal interviews – reflecting the more informal nature of the initial review. Nonetheless, all statements made to the US attorney’s office carry the same legal weight as sworn statements.
Lausch’s office interviewed several people close to Biden. CNN previously reported the office interviewed Kathy Chung, who was Biden’s executive assistant when he was vice president and now works at the Pentagon.
Source: www.cnn.com