published edited Mar-a-Lago affidavit

President Biden on Friday mocked his predecessor’s claims that all the classified material he brought home with him to South Florida had been declassified beforehand.

Asked about former President Donald Trump’s claims that he had used his presidential powers to declassify the material, Biden scoffed.

“I just want you to know that I have declassified everything in the world. I’m president, I can do it, come on,” Biden told reporters as he left the White House.

They were the most sweeping comments Biden has offered to date on his handling of classified documents following the FBI’s search of his predecessor’s home in Florida.

His comments, which came shortly after a redacted affidavit shed new light on material Trump brought with him to his Palm Beach club, stopped short of passing judgment on Trump’s actions.

But they still reflected what Biden might think about a topic he and his team have worked hard to keep at arm’s length.

“I’m not going to comment because I don’t know the details. I don’t even want to know. I’ll let the Justice Department handle that,” Biden said.

In the days after the FBI search of Trump’s compound, the former president and his allies claimed that Trump had a “standing order” to declassify documents he took from the Oval Office to the White House residence.

previously reported that more than a dozen top Trump administration officials never heard of such an order issued during their time working for Trump, saying they believe the claim is patently false.

Biden and his top advisers have worked diligently to avoid commenting on the ongoing criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified material. They have said that they only learn about events through the media.

Still, some Biden administration officials have said privately that there is internal concern about what exactly Trump took with him and whether it has the potential to harm US national security.

Asked Friday if it was ever appropriate to take classified material home, Biden suggested there were scenarios where it was okay.

“It depends on the circumstances, for example, I have a closed space in my house that is completely secure,” he said, describing the Sensitive Information Sharing Facility built to handle classified information.

“I’m taking home today’s PDB (Presidential Daily Digest). Is closed. I have a person with me, a military man with me. I read it. I close it again. I give it to the military,” he said.

Asked if it was appropriate to handle classified material without a specialized area to do it, Biden said: “It depends on the documents and it depends on how secure everything is.”