Brown presses GOP Home Intelligence chair on Trump documents

As the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, you ask National Intelligence Director Avril Haines to assess the fallout over the Biden document issue. What is it that you're most concerned about? And has she given you an assessment.

Of the classified documents that Trump had No. And in fact, what's really interesting here is that in the FBI doing the raid on Mar a Lago, the intelligence community and even the department Defense was not involved at all.

And in doing any assessment as to what the records in my Lago might be or even the risk associated with those that had been surrendered from my law, go from former President Trump in this instance. Also,.

They have not engaged the intelligence community as they were having these documents be on a regular basis, coughed up by President Biden as he was finding them in his garage behind his car in an office he no longer occupies. And we don't even know where he found.

The other documents that had been given. Now, what I think is important is that because the attorney general has gone forward and appointed a special prosecutor for the Biden administration, for President Biden on this issue, for the documents, they're going to really important issues.

And the first issue is a chain of custody. These didn't start out in his garage. They didn't start out in that office at the PEN Biden Center. The second thing is, is why did the president take these? I mean, it's been six years.

That he had these documents when he left his vice president's office and decided that he was going to take these classified documents with him. Albeit illegally. And as he has said, he understands that because he says he said that when Trump did it.

So now we now know he did it. Why? Six years ago did he walk out of the vice president's office? Which documents are marked classified and what did he do with them over that six year period? Those are all fair questions.

And should be scrutinized with that in mind, what you just laid out, I want to go back to what you said in August after the FBI search on Mar a Lago. I interviewed you right after that. And in that interview, you seemed to downplay.

The seriousness of classified documents being at Mar a Lago. Here's what you said. In this instance, we don't really know that these informations are classified. The archive is saying that something is labeled classified doesn't mean that it is.

We have to look at the substance of what the president has And we know that since then, President Trump has said he had those classified folders and so forth as keepsakes. But it appears you've changed your tune, saying now the discovery of Biden's.

Classified information would put him in potential violation of laws protecting national security. So help us better understand this. Yeah, well, you know, if you play just snippets Pamela, you certainly are going to get the context of any of our conversations.

And obviously, the conversation was related to President Trump. Unlike Vice President Biden claimed that the document that he had had already been declassified. And so what I was pointing to, which was the important issue.

That you asked me in the beginning, is that the archivists in the FBI didn't ask anybody in national security or intelligence as to what the risk of the documents had been surrendered. As I just said in this interview,.

Or even the documents that might likely be at the at the Trump residence. Now, I got to tell you, Pamela, I've been very concerned about the inconsistencies that you're hearing from commentators on. Well, Biden didn't you know, he this was inadvertent.

He didn't mean to six years ago walk out of the vice president's office with these classified documents. The concern that we all have is the abuse of power that was done by the Biden administration where they raided his home. Now, you know, they didn't.

Just take classified documents from our law. You know, here are the pages of the filing of the Biden administration. They even walked out with his with Trump's passport. Now, you could be an intern at the FBI. And, you know, Trump's.

Passports not classified documents. The concern here is, is what's acceptable from our government? Is it acceptable that they raid a former president's home, the political rival for the President Biden, and actually his announced candidate and his likely announce candidate?.

If we allow what we find acceptable from our government to change based on what we might Pablo, this is important. But if we let you finish, that's what I think you're missing critical information. If if if we allow what we find acceptable.

From the government to change based upon whether or not we like the target of the government or one that we believe either religiously or politically with that person, we're walking away from that foundational principles.

Of our Constitution. Right. President Trump's House should not have been raided. That's the huge difference between here and President Biden's situation. They're allowing him to do it himself, even with some unclassified people who don't even have classified.

Ratings to be able to to look at these documents. This this inequality, this this hypocritical aspect, especially from President Biden having condemned Trump and then having done the same thing. Right. And you did I mean, he did condemn it.

And we have scrutinized that on this show that he said it was really irresponsible of what Trump did. And now there have been approximately 20 classified documents found at various properties and certainly he has been under scrutiny. But, you know, if you're being intellectually honest.

With yourself, the key difference here that Trump and his team defied a subpoena. They said they had turned over everything. And yet evidence developed through the course of the investigation that classified documents.

Were being moved, which started this obstruction of justice investigation. So that is a key difference here of why the FBI first president it wasn't it wasn't an obstruction of justice investigation. Absolutely.

That there were many. That was my point. My point had been and remains. The the attorney general had several steps he could go through before he's playing around. And Melania's clock went on for months and months.

And months and months. I mean, there was tremendous deference they believed and the Trump team tells you and I don't know if it's true, but the Trump team tells you that there were ongoing negotiations concerning those documents. And the thing is,.

Is that to go to the level of raiding the former president's home, a political rival of President Biden, that is such a high level of scrutiny and as you know, they can't claim that it was because the national security was at risk,.

Because they didn't even ask anybody who's a national security, would you have that same reaction if the same circumstances apply to Biden? You would say the exact same thing. Oh, they shouldn't have had the same reaction. Let's say that's.

I actually said this on Jake Tapper show. I said, Jake, if somebody came on and set a time to raid their home. Yeah. This is hypocritical on the Biden administration. Okay. Thank you so much, Congressman Mike Turner, for that spirited discussion.

This is why I like having you on. Thank you, Pamela. Put it all out there and still have a civil conversation. So appreciate your time. And also, I want to mention everyone, congratulations. To you. You just received your doctorate.

From Georgetown and liberal studies. So congratulations.

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