During a CNN interview on Friday, Democrat Senator Joe Manchin (WV) slammed President Biden for saying he has “no regrets” for his mishandling of classified documents, saying that Biden “should have regrets” because classified documents contain information that could “harm the defense of our country.”
Biden had said he has “no regrets” about his mishandling of classified documents last week, and attacking the reporter who asked about the situation by saying that it “quite frankly bugs” him that the question was asked.
“Mr. President, may I ask you a question about the classified documents, sir? Do you have any regret — regret, sir?” the reporter asked.
“I will answer the question, but here’s the deal: You know, what quite frankly bugs me is that we have a serious problem here we’re talking about. We’re talking about what’s going on. And the American people don’t quite understand why you don’t ask me questions about that,” Biden snapped.
After he was asked the question again, Biden said he has “no regrets” about his actions.
“We’re fully cooperating, looking forward to getting this resolved quickly,” Biden said. “I think you’re gonna find there’s nothing there. I have no regrets. I’m following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do — that’s exactly what we’re doing. There’s no there, there.”
Manchin discussed Biden’s comments during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
“You should have regrets on that however it happened,” Manchin said. “I don’t think anything was intentional. And now we’re finding out, whoever had access, the top eight in this — in our government that get classified information a little differently than the rest of us.”
“We usually go down in a SCIF. And all of the Senators and Congresspeople have to go into that SCIF,” he said. “And there is no way in the world that we’re able to take that out of that SCIF, which is a secured area. Now, president, vice president, and those are having them delivered to them, whether it be at the White House or their office. There has to be better checks and balances on this. But now we find that Vice President Pence, both of our presidents, former President Trump and now president, everybody should have regrets, because it can get into the wrong hands. And classified documents are truly classified. Top-secret is absolutely top secret and something that could harm our, could harm the defense of our country and basically the people who were able to get the information that we need to make sure that we’re defending our country properly.”
“The president has said that he takes classified documents seriously, but does it seem that way to you?” Collins asked.
“It seems that basically, we have no checks and balances when it comes to that level and how that would have happened,” Manchin said. “I know he takes it seriously when he reads them. He gets briefed every morning and basically he’s been involved for so many years, that he’s been at the SCIF as much as we have been at the SCIF, seeing what goes on.”
