US President Joe Biden said he was surprised on Tuesday to learn that his lawyers had found government documents in the offices of his former institute in Washington.

He was asked about it after the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee called on US intelligence to conduct a “damage assessment” of possibly classified documents.

Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, Biden said his lawyers “did what they should have done” when they immediately called the National Archives and Records Administration about the discovery at the offices of the Penn Biden Center. . The president had an office there after stepping down from the vice presidency in 2017 and until shortly before the launch of his presidential campaign in 2019.

The White House confirmed that the Justice Department was reviewing “a small number of documents labeled confidential” found in the office.

“I have been made aware of this discovery and I was surprised to learn that there are government documents that have been brought to this office,” Biden said in his first comments since news broke. discovery of the document on November 2, 2022 broke on Monday. that he did not know what was in the documents and that his lawyers had suggested that he not ask.

Hours earlier on Tuesday, Rep. Mike Turner sent the request to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, noting that Biden’s withholding of the documents is a “potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act.” and presidential documents.

Regardless of a federal review, the revelation that Biden likely mishandled confidential or presidential documents could be a headache for the president, who said former President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold hundreds of those documents at his private residence in Florida had been “irresponsible”.

“Those with access to confidential information have a duty and obligation to protect it,” Turner said in a letter to Haines. “This matter requires a full and thorough review.”

On Tuesday, Rep. James Comer, the new Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to the White House attorney’s office requesting copies of documents found in Biden’s offices. , as well as communications about the discovery and a list of people who may have had access to the office where they were found. The White House did not immediately respond to the request.