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Former President Donald Trump has suggested that Chinese agents reviewed classified documents kept in an office at President Joe Biden's think tank.
Trump on Monday claimed, without evidence, that China "saw" classified documents, which dated from Biden's time as vice president and were discovered in the fall at the University of Pennsylvania's Washington, D.C.-based Penn Biden Center.
The former president, who is facing potential criminal charges related to his possession of more than 100 classified documents found after his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home, also accused the think tank of being "funded" by the Chinese.
"Wow! The Biden Think Tank is funded by CHINA!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Also, a V.P. cannot Declassify documents, which are covered by the Federal Records Act, which is Criminal and MUCH TOUGHER than the Presidential Records Act, which is NOT Criminal. A President, me, can Declassify. How much more information has China been given?"
"The amount was 54 Million Dollars that the Biden Think Tank received from China," Trump added. "That's a lot of money. They saw the Classified Documents!"
The former president made the suggestion again in a later post, writing: "Biden giving China Highly Classified Documents would be a bridge too far. I certainly wouldn't do that. Not a good situation for our Country to be in!"
In a Truth Social post earlier on Monday, Trump suggested that the FBI should "raid" Biden's "many homes," including the White House, due to the Penn Biden Center discovery.
While it is unclear why Trump accused the Penn Biden Center of being "funded" by China, a New York Post article published in April 2022 noted that the University of Pennsylvania—not the Penn Biden Center itself—had received $54.6 million in Chinese donations between 2014 and 2019.
The University of Pennsylvania is not alone in accepting donations from China. From 2013 to 2020, U.S. universities accepted nearly $1 billion in Chinese donations, with Harvard accepting the lion's share, according to Bloomberg.
There is no evidence that the Penn Biden Center received any of the Chinese money, nor is there any reason to believe that Chinese foreign agents were granted access to the documents in exchange for a donation.
On Biden's inauguration day, January 20, 2021, The Washington Post reported that Trump made a total of 30,573 false or misleading claims during his presidency.
"The assertion that the Penn Biden Center received $54 million from China is total nonsense," University of Pennsylvania spokesperson Stephen MacCarthy said in a statement to Newsweek. "The Penn Biden Center has never solicited or received any gifts from any Chinese or other foreign entity."
"In fact, the University has never solicited any gifts for the Center," added MacCarthy. "Since its inception in 2017 there have been three unsolicited gifts (from two donors) which combined total $1,100. Both donors are Americans. One hundred percent of the budget for the Penn Biden Center comes from university funds."
It is unclear how the documents came to be at the Penn Biden Center. Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, said in a statement on Monday that a "small number" of classified documents were discovered on November 2 in an office at the center that Biden had used at times from mid-2017 until his 2020 presidential campaign.
Sauber said that Biden's personal lawyers made the discovery and immediately informed the National Archives, which took possession of the documents. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is reviewing the documents with the cooperation of the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith is currently weighing criminal charges related to Trump's post-presidency possession of classified documents. In addition to possession of the documents, the former president has been accused of attempting to cover up his possession.
Trump denies any wrongdoing, claiming that he declassified the documents in question, although there is no evidence to support his claim.
Following the August 2022 seizure of the documents from Mar-a-Lago, some said that Trump's home may have been infiltrated by foreign agents. In 2019, a Chinese woman was discovered on the grounds while carrying electronic devices that included a thumb drive containing malware.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment.
Update 1/10, 4:08 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comments from University of Pennsylvania spokesperson Stephen MacCarthy.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more