The Obama administration ended almost a decade ago. But we’re just now learning the truth.
As Barack Obama and Joe Biden were just implicated in a wild classified documents crime.
Joe Biden Received Sensitive White House Materials To Private Email As Vice President
A newly released collection of documents from the National Archives has revealed that sensitive government information, including briefing materials for President Barack Obama and details about White House Situation Room meetings, was sent to Joe Biden’s private pseudonymous email accounts during his tenure as vice president. These documents, obtained through ongoing Freedom of Information Act litigation, also include discussions about delicate conversations with foreign leaders and the consequences of leaked National Security Agency intercepts. The transmission of such critical information to Biden’s personal email has raised serious concerns among security experts and lawmakers.
The materials, handed over to reporters in partnership with the Southeastern Legal Foundation, consist of several hundred pages of emails spanning from 2011 to 2015. Experts who examined these records expressed alarm at what they described as a casual approach to sending sensitive government information to an insecure private email account. They argue that this practice potentially jeopardized national security by exposing vital details to possible interception by adversaries.
Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst and Trump National Security Council chief of staff, was among those who reviewed the documents. “The new set of emails from Joe Biden’s time as Vice President are very troubling and are more evidence that Biden believed he did not have to abide by classification and document handling regulations,” Fleitz shared with reporters. His comments point to a pattern of behavior that suggests Biden disregarded established protocols for managing sensitive government communications.
These newly released emails add to previous findings that Biden, while serving as vice president, relied on pseudonymous email accounts to discuss official business with close advisors. The topics ranged from domestic political matters to foreign policy issues of significant consequence. However, determining whether any of these communications contained classified information has proven difficult, as many documents were either heavily redacted or withheld entirely, with only subject lines remaining visible.
One example of a withheld email, dated January 19, 2015, carried the subject line “The President’s Briefing Materials.” While the contents remain undisclosed, the title alone suggests the sensitivity of the information being transmitted. Federal regulations governing the use of commercial email for government business are strict and extend beyond just classified materials, aiming to ensure that all official communications are properly secured and preserved.
Different federal agencies define “sensitive” information in their own terms. For instance, the U.S. Air Force refers to it as “controlled unclassified information” in its guidelines, while the U.S. Department of Labor takes an even stricter stance. The Labor Department explicitly instructs employees, “NOT use your personal email or social media accounts for official matters. This raises record-keeping issues and potentially puts confidential information at risk.” Such policies are designed to prevent exactly the kind of exposure Biden’s actions risked.
Security experts argue that using a private email account for government work creates vulnerabilities that adversaries could exploit. This danger is compounded by Biden’s known storage of classified documents at his home, a practice that has already drawn scrutiny. “Just like the classified documents Biden stored in his garage and home office, he again proved he didn’t care about document security,” Fleitz said. He specifically pointed to Biden’s use of a Gmail alias, “robinware45@gmail.com,” noting that sensitive emails stored on commercial servers could have been easily hacked.
Fleitz examined roughly two dozen emails from the collection and raised additional concerns. “I am concerned that the text of at least eight of the emails was withheld, probably due to classified content,” he noted. The possibility that classified information was included in these communications only heightens the stakes of what critics see as a reckless disregard for security protocols.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin and chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has also weighed in on the issue. He told reporters that the National Archives previously resisted his attempts to investigate Biden’s use of private emails. “Over the last several years, Senator Grassley and I pressed the Biden White House and the National Archives for information and records on Joe Biden’s use of pseudonyms and personal email addresses for official government business,” Johnson said. He added that the Biden administration failed to provide answers to those inquiries.
Johnson emphasized the importance of transparency in this matter. “The public deserves to know what Joe Biden received and sent in his official capacity on his non-government email accounts, whether his actions jeopardized national security, and if he violated any federal record-keeping and archival requirements,” he stated. His determination to pursue the issue suggests that further investigation may be forthcoming.
Federal regulations, including the Federal Records Act, generally prohibit or limit the use of private email for government business to ensure that official records are preserved and accessible. When officials do use personal accounts, they are required to forward those communications to their government accounts for proper documentation. The emails released by the National Archives show Biden engaging with advisors on topics such as a call with Iraq’s prime minister and Situation Room discussions, all through his private Gmail account.
In one instance from September 2014, Biden’s deputy national security advisor, Jeffrey Prescott, emailed him about foreign policy memos delivered to the vice presidential residence. “Your book has been sent to the residence. It includes everything we have discussed except the Christians memo,” Prescott wrote. He went on to detail additional memos about Israel and a call with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, all sent to Biden’s “robinware456@gmail.com” address. Such communications illustrate the routine nature of these exchanges.
Another email from October 2014, with the subject “Re: Abadi call (Government Formation / Amerli),” was also sent to Biden’s private account. While the contents were withheld under a FOIA exemption for confidential policy deliberations, the subject likely refers to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the city of Amerli, which had been under siege by the Islamic State earlier that year. This context underscores the gravity of the information being shared outside secure channels.
The risks of using private email extend beyond hacking concerns, according to retired FBI Executive Assistant Director Chris Piehota. “Government policy says you are not supposed to do business outside the government system” for a reason, he shared. He explained that commercial systems lack the security features of government networks and can be monitored by service providers, potentially exposing sensitive details to unintended parties.
Piehota also noted that even if no classified information is shared, the use of private accounts can still provide adversaries with valuable insights. “You can put things together from information sources” and combine them with other intelligence, he said. This aggregation could allow an opponent to build a clearer picture of an administration’s strategies and intentions, posing a significant risk to national security.
The documents obtained are part of a larger set of 82,000 pages of emails from Biden’s pseudonymous accounts, identified by the National Archives in response to a lawsuit from the Southeastern Legal Foundation. While the preservation of these records partially complies with federal law, the initial use of private email for official business remains a point of contention. As scrutiny continues, the revelations paint a troubling picture of Biden’s approach to handling sensitive government information during his time as vice president.
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