Washington, D.C. – Special Counsel Robert Hur has completed a yearlong investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents while out of office. The report has been released to members of Congress, marking one of the final steps before it becomes public. The White House reviewed a draft of the report and announced that it would not seek to censor any information gathered by Hur. This decision reflects the president’s commitment to cooperation and transparency.
Attorney General Merrick Garland informed key lawmakers earlier this week that Hur had concluded his investigation. The probe examined how approximately two dozen classified documents ended up at Biden’s personal home and office. Some of these documents included “top secret” markings, the highest level of classification.
Hur was appointed as special counsel in January of 2023, following the discovery of a batch of documents at the Penn-Biden Center in Washington, D.C. and additional records in the garage of Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware. The investigation included interviews with as many as 100 current and former officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, and Hunter Biden, the president’s son. Biden himself was interviewed by Hur’s team in October.
Sources present for some of the interviews indicated that authorities had uncovered instances of carelessness from Biden’s vice presidency. However, the improper removal of classified documents from Biden’s office when he left the White House in 2017 appeared to be more likely a mistake than a criminal act.
Throughout the investigation, the White House emphasized its cooperation with investigators, and Biden repeatedly denied any personal wrongdoing. The probe has played out quietly against the backdrop of former President Trump’s inquiry into his handling of classified records, which culminated last year in a 40-count indictment to which Trump has pleaded not guilty.
The release of National Archives records indicate that Biden’s legal team cooperated with officials, in contrast to federal prosecutors accusing Trump of deliberately withholding classified records from investigators. This underscores the contrasting approaches of the two administrations in relation to the handling of classified materials.