US prosecutor says classified document report does not exonerate Biden
Send a link to a friend
[March 13, 2024]
By Makini Brice and Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. prosecutor said on Tuesday his
investigation of President Joe Biden over his handling of classified
documents didn't exonerate the president despite declining to charge
him, after setting off a political firestorm by saying Biden had a "poor
memory." Former U.S. Special Counsel Robert Hur faced a grilling from
the Republican-led House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which
has been one of the panels conducting an impeachment inquiry into the
81-year-old Democratic president.
Hur - who was appointed as the former top federal prosecutor in Maryland
by Biden's predecessor and election rival, Republican Donald Trump -
said he "did not exonerate" the president. He noted that the
investigation uncovered evidence that Biden knowingly kept secret
documents after leaving the vice presidency in 2017.
Trump is facing four upcoming criminal trials, including on federal
charges that he also retained classified documents after leaving the
White House. However, unlike Biden, he is charged with obstruction for
trying to stop the government from collecting them.
Hur defended his discussion of Biden's memory, saying the president's
state of mind was relevant to whether he committed a crime.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/13/images/ads/current/graue_sda_042021.png)
"My assessment in the report about the relevance of the president's
memory was necessary and accurate and fair," Hur said. "I did not
sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly. I
explained to the attorney general my decision and the reasons for it.
That's what I was required to do."
White House spokesperson Ian Sams pushed back on Hur's remarks, saying
his testimony underscored why the special counsel did not bring criminal
charges.
"The bottom line is the case is closed," Sams told reporters.
Some Democrats argued that Hur's discussion of Biden's memory was
unnecessary and inappropriate. Representative Adam Schiff suggested Hur
was aware his analysis would have a "maximal political impact."
Reuters/Ipsos polling shows that almost four in five Americans,
including a large majority of Democrats, believe Biden is too old to
work in government. A little more than half of respondents said that of
Trump, 77.
"You must have understood the impact of your words," Schiff said,
accusing Hur of making a "political choice."
Hur said politics played no part in his report, which drew anger from
the White House after he released it last month.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/031324PIX/news_m25.jpg)
Special Counsel Robert Hur is seated to testify before a House
Judiciary Committee hearing on his inquiry into President Biden's
handling of classified documents, on Capitol Hill in Washington,
U.S., March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/13/images/ads/current/immanuellutheran_lda_LENT_030424.png)
FREEWHEELING ANSWERS
A transcript of Hur's interview with Biden reviewed by Reuters,
conducted last October as Biden grappled with the fallout from
Hamas's Oct. 7 assault on Israel, showed the president brought up
the issue of his memory first.
"I'm a young man, so it's not a problem," Biden said jokingly to Hur
when the prosecutor said he'd be asking questions about events that
happened years earlier, the transcript showed.
The transcript showed Biden gave freewheeling answers to many of
Hur's questions, but struggled to recall certain details, including
when he left the vice presidency.
Hur appeared before Congress the week after Biden made a fiery State
of the Union speech that signaled an aggressive start to the
Democratic president's reelection campaign against Trump.
Hur's report cited distinctions between the Biden and Trump
documents cases, including alleged acts of obstruction by Trump, but
Republican lawmakers accused prosecutors of a double standard.
"Joe Biden broke the law but because he's a forgetful old man who
would appear sympathetic to a jury, Mr. Hur chose not to bring
charges," said Republican Representative Jim Jordan, the House
Judiciary committee's chair.
Biden, the oldest person to serve as U.S. president, lashed out
against the characterization in public remarks after the report's
release, saying his memory was fine, and Vice President Kamala
Harris called the report politically motivated.
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. His appointment ended on Monday, the department
said.
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott
Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Alistair Bell)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Mar/13/images/ads/current/ldn_booksda_CHASSKAREN_010924.png) |