Biden and Trump improperly shared sensitive documents, including the floor plan of the White House

Internal records of the White House in the United States show that during their terms, both Biden and Trump inadvertently shared a Google Drive folder with all the staff of the General Services Administration of the United States. This is the latest case of two presidents' improper handling of sensitive data.

According to internal records of the White House reviewed by The Washington Post, during the administrations of Biden and Trump, government officials improperly shared sensitive documents with thousands of federal personnel, including possibly classified floor plans of the White House.

This incident of improper sharing of sensitive documents can be traced back at least to the early days of Biden's tenure in early 2021. It has continued to occur since Trump's return to the White House this year, with the most recent one happening last week.

The authorities initiated the reporting and investigation of the cyber security incident last week.

The report indicates that employees of the General Services Administration (GSA) are responsible for excessive file sharing. The agency provides administrative and technical support to most federal agencies and manages government industries.

Records show that GSA employees accidentally shared a Google Drive folder containing sensitive files with all GSA employees. According to GSA's online directory, the total number of GSA employees exceeds 11,200.

The shared information also includes details of the plan to build explosion-proof doors at the White House Visitor Center, as well as the bank account information of the suppliers of the Trump administration's press conference.

The Google Drive incident is another digital security vulnerability of the Trump administration. Last month, senior US officials mistakenly included Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Monthly, in a group chat discussing the operation against the Houthi forces in Yemen. Trump's national security advisor and his subordinates were also found to be using personal Gmail emails for government communications.

A special prosecutor's report last year found that during his tenure, Biden casually placed classified documents and notebooks at home.

The excessive sharing within the White House that has lasted for at least four years indicates that both the Trump and Biden administrations have handled sensitive information carelessly.

The records reviewed by The Washington Post did not clearly indicate whether the shared floor plans of the east and west wings of the White House complex, details of the explosion-proof doors, and bank information were classified.

There are 15 files in the Google Drive folder, among which nine are marked as CUI, namely "Controlled Non-Confidential Information". According to the regulations of the US government, CUI is "sensitive information that does not meet the confidentiality standards but still needs to be protected".

The records show that at least 10 shared files are allowed for GSA employees to view and even edit the content.

The White House and the General Services Administration did not immediately respond to The Washington Post's request for comment on Sunday (April 20). Biden's representative did not respond either.