Democrats have begun to express concern publicly over President Joe Biden’s unauthorized storage of classified documents, with dome suggesting the President may have a diminished stature and that his staff is irresponsible.
Senator John Tester (Mont.), one of several Democrat Senators facing reelection in 2024 in a state which predominantly votes Republican in Presidential races, said he is “very concerned.”
He added that it was necessary to “get to the bottom of it to find out what the hell happened, [and] why it happened.”
Tester explained his concern revolved around national security, adding that investigators should ascertain if Biden’s unauthorized storage put the nation’s security at risk.
Biden has been under intense scrutiny and faced criticism from both sides of the aisle since reports surfaced that he was storing classified documents in a former office and his Wilmington, Del. home.
But it’s not only where documents have been found — in a garage Hunter Biden may have had access to — but also the drip-drip nature of the discoveries.
Biden, who emerged stronger after the 2022 midterms and is still considered the party’s likely 2024 nominee, could face a reputational hit.
Senator Joe Manchin, another Democrat in a state that comfortably voted for Trump in 2020, also criticized Biden, calling the nature of the discoveries “unbelievable” and “totally irresponsible.”
But criticism from Manchin isn’t unheard of; instead, it’s criticism from Senators in safely Democratic states, like Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), that point to tension brewing toward Biden among Democrats.
Durbin asserted the controversy “diminishes” Biden, adding that the President rightly felt “embarrassed by the situation.”
