Biden’s Executive Assistant Didn’t Identify Classified Docs While Packing Office: House Democrats

The building which houses offices including the Penn Biden Center at 101 Constitution Avenue in Washington on Jan. 18, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

A May 3 Democratic memo alleges that House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) distorted comments from an interview with Joe Biden’s executive assistant, Kathy Chung, from his time as vice president, claiming that Comer “promoted false, xenophobic, and racist conspiracy theories” about Chung from her testimony to the committee last month.

In addition, portions of the interview transcript in the letter from House Oversight Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) suggest that Chung did not identify any classified documents in the materials she handled.

Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) speaks on the fifth day of former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 13, 2021. (congress.gov via Getty Images)

A House Oversight Committee spokesperson described the letter as a “leaked memo” in a May 3 email to The Epoch Times.

After working for Biden during his vice presidency, Chung worked at the Washington-based Penn Biden Center, where White House lawyer Richard Sauber publicly identified the first tranche of classified documents from Biden’s vice presidency. Chung also worked on Biden’s vice presidential campaign.

Other classified documents from Biden’s vice presidency were found at his Wilmington residence through multiple searches by the Department of Justice. Raskin’s letter does not appear to address those materials.

Special Counsel Robert Hur is investigating the incidents. He was appointed on Jan. 12 by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

United States Attorney Robert Hur speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office, in Baltimore, Md., on Sept. 19, 2018. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

At Comer’s request, the committee held a transcribed interview with Chung on April 4.

As quoted in Raskin’s letter, Chung said she didn’t think any classified documents were in the boxes she packed at the end of Biden’s stint as vice president.

“Was it your understanding that all classified documents and Presidential records had already been removed from the office?” a questioner asked Chung.

“It was my understanding, yes,” she answered.

“Did you double check to make sure there were no classified documents or Presidential records?” the questioner asked shortly afterward.

Chung’s response was a simple, “No.”

As quoted in the letter, Chung said those boxes remain packed while at a location in or around Washington’s Chinatown. They were temporarily stored there because, in her words, “the Penn Biden Center was not ready.”

Before they reached Chinatown, the materials had been stored at a space obtained by the General Services Administration (GSA).

Chung said she didn’t “study” the documents she unpacked at the Penn Biden Center.

“Did anyone tell you what to unpack?” the questioner asked.

“No,” she responded.

Chung said she was unaware that the boxes she packed and unpacked contained any classified documents until she received a call from Biden’s attorney, Robert Bauer, in November 2022.

Raskin also asserted that Comer trafficked in “baseless, xenophobic, and racist conspiracy theories” about Chung, citing his comments during interviews on Fox News and NewsMax.

Attorney General Merrick Garland arrives to speak at the Department of Justice in Washington on April 13, 2023. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Comer had told NewsMax’s Jenn Pellegrino that the oversight committee was “investigating” Chung’s possible ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He made similar comments to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, saying his committee was “looking into” any connections linking Chung with the CCP.

“Do you have a relationship with the Chinese Communist Party?” a questioner asked Chung during her April 4 interview.

“No,” she responded.

Oversight Committee’s Response

“Once again, Ranking Member Raskin is playing defense lawyer for President Biden instead of engaging in oversight of this Administration,” the House Oversight Committee spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

“While the Democrats attempt to distract from the facts, the Committee will keep pressing forward with this investigation,” the spokesperson added.

Notably, the transcripts in Raskin’s letter don’t appear to contradict reporting from last month that classified documents at the Penn Biden Center were left in a locked closet.

Sauber said the materials were found “in a locked closet,” according to CBS’s initial reporting on the classified document case in January.

In an April 4 statement, Comer said his interview with the former executive assistant revealed that the White House’s former counsel, Dana Remus, “tasked Kathy Chung with retrieving these boxes from the Penn Biden Center as early as May 2022.”

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, delivers remarks during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“This story does not begin in November 2022, as represented by President Biden’s attorney,” he added.

Raskin’s letter ends with a call for transparency.

“Democratic Members of the Committee should call on Chairman Comer to release the full and complete transcript of Ms. Chung’s April 4, 2023, interview,” it states.

The oversight spokesperson characterized that appeal as disingenuous.

“We are not releasing the full transcript at this time as it contains sensitive information to this ongoing investigation. Ranking Member Raskin is an attorney and knows very well why committees don’t release full transcripts in the middle of an investigation,” the spokesperson said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Raskin for comment.