Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report on Thursday detailing that President Joe Biden did take classified documents home with him but concluded that no criminal charges were warranted in the matter. The 345-page report highlighted instances where classified materials were mishandled, noting that Biden willfully retained and disclosed such documents after his vice presidency.
CNN’s Evan Perez reported on the key findings, stating that despite the mishandling of classified documents, the report determined that criminal charges were not justified. The report outlined various instances, including Biden keeping documents in a rented home in Virginia while writing a book and sharing classified documents with a ghostwriter assisting him in producing memoirs.
One crucial aspect highlighted in the report was the explanation for not charging the sitting president. The reasoning extended beyond the Department of Justice’s prohibition on charging a sitting president, as the special counsel argued that the evidence would not sustain a conviction even if brought before a jury. The report emphasized that convincing a jury of Biden’s intent to disclose classified material would be challenging, particularly given the president’s age and potential difficulty sustaining a conviction for a serious felony.
The report also included details on Biden’s mental state and memory, pointing out instances during an interview where he struggled to remember specific details about his vice presidency, such as the start and end dates of his term. The report acknowledged the challenges of convincing a jury to convict Biden, particularly considering his age and potential issues with memory.
“So we just, received this report, produced by Special Counsel Robert Hur, 345 pages, in all. And it details, the, mishandling of classified, documents by the president of the United States. And, the bottom line on this report, obviously, the most important part of it is the first line where he says, we conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter,” Perez reported, adding:
And he goes on, over 345 pages to describe, the various ways in which documents were mishandled, including the fact, they say that the, that the president willfully, retained classified documents after he left the, the vice presidency, that, he kept documents, in a home in Virginia that he was renting at the time that, during a period thereafter, he was writing a book, and he shared classified documents with a ghostwriter who was helping him produce one of his memoirs.
“One other very important point here, the special counsel goes into chapter and verse, of why, they’re not going to charge, the president of the Senate. And it’s not only because he is the sitting president and there is a DOJ prohibition on charging a sitting president with a crime. What they talk about here is that they believe that, the evidence that they have would not be able to be sustained, would not be able to sustain a conviction if this was brought before a jury,” Perez added.
