Classified documents discovery leaves the White House squirming

The White House faced aggressive questioning Wednesday over the discovery of classified documents apparently mislaid by President Joe Biden, a case complicating the authorities' probe into a far bigger scandal involving Donald Trump.

NBC News, followed by other US outlets, reported Wednesday that Biden aides had discovered "at least one additional batch" of unsecured documents. 

So far, the White House has confirmed that a "small number" of classified documents -- reportedly around 10 -- were uncovered in a locked closet at a Washington think tank where Biden used to have an office before becoming president. The documents themselves date from his time as vice president to Barack Obama.

The latest revelation guarantees the story won't die down quickly, with unpredictable consequences for the future of the probe into Trump, who hoarded gigantic numbers of documents at his Florida residence after leaving the White House in 2021.

Although the Trump case is more serious -- the FBI carted away some 11,000 documents after serving a search warrant in August and Trump could face obstruction of justice charges -- the Biden version is at minimum embarrassing to a president who touts his...