U.S. President Biden speaks about the U.S.-Mexico border during remarks at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about U.S.-Mexico border security and enforcement, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 5, 2023. Reuters

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he was surprised to learn that classified documents were found in a think-tank office he once used and said he and his team are cooperating fully with a review into what happened.

Biden told reporters at a joint news conference with the leaders of Mexico and Canada that he takes classified documents seriously. He said he did not know what was in the documents.

"We are cooperating fully with the review, which I hope will be finished soon," Biden said.

A Democrat, Biden has faced criticism from Republicans after his Justice Department launched an investigation last year into Republican former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents discovered at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The cases differ in several ways.

Biden's attorneys discovered fewer than a dozen classified records inside the office at the think tank and informed the U.S. National Archives of their discovery, turned over the materials, and said they were cooperating with the Archives and the Justice Department.

By contrast, Trump kept thousands of government records, a few hundred of which were marked as classified, inside his Florida residence for more than a year after departing the White House, and did not return them immediately or willingly despite numerous requests by the National Archives.

When he finally handed over 15 boxes of records in January 2022, the Archives discovered more than 100 were marked as classified. It later referred the matter to the Justice Department.

Investigators tried to get Trump to return any remaining classified records through a grand jury subpoena and a visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. On that visit, Trump's advisers returned a few dozen additional classified records, and attested that no other classified material remained in the residence.

Suspecting possible obstruction of justice, the FBI sought and obtained court approval in August to search his home, where agents found more than 13,000 additional records, about 100 of them highly classified.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith in November to investigate the matter.

To prove a crime occurred, investigators would need evidence to show that Trump or his associates knowingly and willfully retained the records and intentionally sought to obstruct the department's investigation to get them returned.

Biden defended the handling of the documents.

"They found some documents in a box in a locked cabinet, or at least a closet. And as soon as they did, they realized there were several classified documents in that box. And they did what they should have done. They immediately called the Archives," he said.

"I was briefed about this discovery and surprised to learn that there were any government records that were taken there to that office, but I don't know what's in the documents," he said.

He said his lawyers have suggested he not ask what was in the documents.

"I've turned over the boxes, they've turned over the boxes to the Archives, and we are cooperating fully with the review, which I hope will be finished soon. And there'll be more detail at that time," he said.