Special counsel Robert Hur released his report on Joe Biden's handling of classified documents he took with him after being Barack Obama's vice president. He wrote more than 300 pages to justify that he would not file federal charges. Still, one of the most striking passages of the writing has to do with the president's memory, which he noted has "significant limitations."
Initially nominated by Donald Trump, Hur was appointed in January 2023 to investigate classified documents found in Biden's private office and his garage in Delaware. At the time, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the appointment was a sign of the Department's "commitment to independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters."
BREAKING: These are some photos of the classified docs President Biden stored in the garage in Delaware, according to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report. Some of these documents included classified information about Afghanistan, the report says. No criminal charges recommended. pic.twitter.com/IvMQbJglse
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 8, 2024
Biden's memory
Hur dedicated one of the sections of the letter to the president's memory, which, he wrote, "appeared to have significant limitations." He came to this conclusion, citing an interview and recorded conversations with his ghostwriter.
"(Biden) did not remember when he was vice president. He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him," the report states.
🚨 Joe Biden “did not remember when he was vice president.. He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him” pic.twitter.com/NmwuykPKIE
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 8, 2024
"We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," Hur added.
Investigation of classified documents
After a little more than a year of interviews, the special counsel released his 379-page report, in which he wrote that Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen." However, he clarified that it was not enough to file charges.
The report also included detailed photographs of documents in the president's garage, which included "top secret/sensitive compartmentalized information" related to foreign policy in Afghanistan.
According to Biden's attorney, Bob Bauer, the report is too long to conclude that he would not press charges while also indicating that it was an "investigative excess."
"Whatever the impact of those pressures on the final Report, it flouts Department regulations and norms," added Biden's lawyer.
