A conference at the Penn Biden Center in June reportedly permitted attendees “unmonitored” access to the facility, where in November classified documents were found in an office Joe Biden maintained.
The two-day “bootcamp” was held for congressional staffers to promote a working relationship with China on issues such as energy and academia, the Washington Free Beacon reported Tuesday.
The University of Pennsylvania, which houses the Penn Biden Center, has received millions in anonymous Chinese donations. Since Biden assumed office, UPenn has reportedly received donations worth $52 million from anonymous sources, including from China and Saudi Arabia, raising concerns of compromised national security.
UPenn’s close ties to China appeared not to cause an increase in facility security for the June event. According to the Beacon, the two-day conference had slack security that permitted congressional staffers and other attendees to wander around the building,
“There were no posted security officials at the Penn Biden Center during the June conference—just regular Penn staffers—and attendees were able to walk around the center unmonitored and make use of unused rooms for phone calls and other private work during the conference,” the report stated.
The lack of security at the event raises questions of whether Biden’s classified information at the center was compromised.
Penn Biden Center’s lack of security comes as the Justice Department and lawmakers are investigating Biden’s classified document scandal, which was first revealed to the public on January 9th through a leak to CBS. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House had known about the scandal for weeks. Biden’s personal attorneys found the documents on November 2, just a few days before the midterm election.
It’s unclear why Biden’s personal attorneys were initially searching for the classified materials. The White House and DOJ have failed to provide the initial reason or cause for the search.
The Penn Biden Center has not complied with congressional inquiries into how classified documents were stored at the facility.
Some of the classified documents that were stored at the center were labeled top secret, the highest classification of classified information. The materials reportedly pertain to Iran, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine, where the Biden family business has conducted many foreign business deals.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.