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U.S. Special Counsel Robert Hur will speak to the House of
Representatives Judiciary Committee, which has been one of the
panels conducting an impeachment inquiry into Biden, 81,
beginning at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT).
Hur appears the week after Biden made a fiery State of the Union
speech that signaled an aggressive start to the Democratic
president's reelection campaign, a rematch with Republican
predecessor Donald Trump.
Hur's report said he would not seek charges against Biden for
retaining classified documents after leaving office as vice
president in 2017, but drew anger from the White House for its
depiction of Biden.
"We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely
present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of
him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor
memory," the report said.
Biden, the oldest person to hold the office of the U.S.
president in history, lashed out against the characterization in
public remarks, saying his memory was fine, and Vice President
Kamala Harris called it politically motivated.
Trump, 77, is facing multiple criminal prosecutions, including
one over his own mishandling of classified documents.
Trump and allies have accused the Justice Department of having a
double standard, but prosecutors said Trump actively obstructed
their search for the documents and did not cooperate with the
investigation into them. Hur said Biden was generally
cooperative with the probe.
Hur was appointed as a U.S. attorney by Trump and made special
counsel by Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland after
Biden's documents surfaced.
House Republicans have requested underlying documents related to
the probe, but have said the Justice Department has not
complied.
House Republicans allege that Biden and his family improperly
profited from policy decisions Biden participated in as vice
president in 2009-17, though they have so far not released any
evidence showing that Biden benefited financially. The White
House has denied wrongdoing.
House Republicans have invited Biden's son Hunter Biden to a
public hearing on March 20, but it is not clear whether the
younger Biden will participate.
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by
Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
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