WATCH: John Kirby tries to defend Biden’s allegedly absconding with classified documents

Kirby’s comments come amidst controversy regarding President Biden’s handling of classified materials, as a number of documents were discovered in his office and Wilmington residence.

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked, "how hard is it to walk out of a SCIF [Sensitive compartmented information facility] with classified material?"

"Everybody who goes into a SCIF knows what the requirements are to go in, and knows what the requirements are to go out. You can't bring personal devices in and you certainly can't leave with material unless that material was appropriately secured," Kirby responded.

"And usually what happens to someone in the chain of command if they do leave with a piece of classified material that they're not supposed to have or that is not secured?" Doocy asked.

"I think if you do it inadvertently or you do it and you realize you don't have it secured in a locked bag, you know, you — you self-report, which is exactly what the president did, self-reported. But you self-report and you, you make sure that, that you get the material back secured where it belongs, and that you're transparent about it.

Classified documents were revealed to have been discovered in Biden’s Penn Biden Center think tank office earlier this month, though the discovery of the documents dates back to November 2, 2022.

A second set of classified materials were found inside the garage and living spaces of Biden’s Wilmington residence in December, only to be revealed earlier this month. Additional documents were discovered in the home after a search.

According to Fox News, FBI agents discovered a third set of classified documents at Biden’s Wilmington home last week, and a fourth set was found at the Penn Biden Center.

The White House has claimed that the documents were "inadvertently misplaced."