The White House is bracing for the special counsel’s report on Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, fearing it could contain details and photos that would embarrass the president.
Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report will be made public in the coming days after a year-long investigation. Biden will not face criminal charges, the Washington Post reported.
However, it is unclear to what extent the report will criticize the president and his aides regarding their handling of classified materials found at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C. and in his garage at his home in Wilmington, Del.
Aides fear Hur could criticize Biden for carelessness and other mistakes and that the report could include embarrassing photos of where Biden kept the documents. Some were found in the garage in Wilmington, Del., where he kept his beloved Corvette.
White House fears embarrassing photos and details could emerge from special counsel’s report on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents
In total, about 25 documents marked as classified were found at locations associated with Biden.
Donald Trump, who faces federal charges over his handling of classified documents, is likely to turn the findings into a political issue and accuse the Justice Department of targeting him while letting Biden go.
In late 2022, Biden’s lawyers immediately notified the National Archives and Records Administration when they discovered a secret cache during the closure of the Penn Biden Center.
They have worked with the Justice Department and allowed the FBI to search Biden’s office and two homes in Delaware.
Trump, on the other hand, resisted requests from the archives to turn over material from his presidency that he took with him to his Mar-a-Lago home. The FBI raided the property in August 2022.
The former president was indicted in June on 37 charges for possessing materials that predated his presidency. Under the Presidential Records Act, all documents of a president are the property of the federal government and belong to the National Archives.
Trump kept the files — including data from the Pentagon, the CIA and the National Security Agency — unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and thwarted official efforts to retrieve them, the indictment said.
He will stand trial in Florida in May. He has pleaded not guilty.
Documents were found in the president’s garage in Wilmington, Delaware on December 20, 2022 and in his home library on January 12, 2023
In January 2023, Biden was asked how he could have classified materials “next to your Corvette.” He replied, “By the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage, okay?”
Photos of the entrance to President Joe Biden’s lake home in Wilmington, Delaware
Donald Trump is expected to use the special counsel’s report as a political issue
Hur, a former U.S. attorney who was nominated by Trump in 2017, interviewed about 100 people, including the president himself, Hunter Biden, and the president’s aides and aides. colleagues as part of his research.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Hur, has promised transparency to “explain (the) … decisions to prosecute or not, and their strategic decisions along the way.”
“Typically, at the end of their report, special prosecutors provide testimony, and I expect that will be the case here,” he said.
The discovery of Biden’s documents came after it was revealed that Trump took classified documents with him when he left the White House and kept them at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home. Special counsels were appointed to investigate Trump and Biden.
Hur and his team interviewed President Biden for two days. They are also sTalk to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and top Biden aide Steve Ricchetti and Biden’s former chief of staff Ron Klain.
Hur was appointed special prosecutor on January 12, 2023. Jack Smith is the special counsel investigating the Trump case.
Biden has cooperated with the investigation from the beginning. The FBI investigated his think tank’s offices and Biden’s homes in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and Wilmington, Del.
On November 2, Biden’s personal lawyer discovered about a dozen documents with classified markings at the Penn Biden Center, Biden’s private think tank run by the University of Pennsylvania.
The material dates back to the Obama administration. The National Archives and the Ministry of Justice were informed of the discovery.
But the crisis only came to public attention in January after CBS News reported its existence, drawing criticism for the Biden administration, which has promised transparency.
Days later, more classified documents were discovered at Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware. Additional searches turned up more classified documents – about two dozen in total.
Even if there are no criminal charges, Biden’s aides expect the details in Hur’s report could be politically damaging.
Special counsel Robert Hur is expected to issue a “sharply critical” detailed report
Biden said lawyers discovered “a small number of documents with classified markings in storage areas and filing cabinets in my home and my — my personal library.” He also referred to the discovery of materials at the Penn Biden Center in Washington
White House officials worry the report could include embarrassing photos, like the photos of documents stored in the Mar-a-Lago bathroom (above)
Hur has interviewed the president’s aides and family members, including Biden himself and son Hunter, but has made no public statements throughout the trial.
Hur’s team does reportedly expected to issue a ‘sharply critical’ detailed report.
Biden has previously defended his practice of storing documents from his vice presidency in his garage, emphasizing the secure nature of the storage space he chose.
“My Corvette is in a locked garage, so it’s not like they’re sitting on the street,” Biden said when the documents were discovered.
However, releasing photos showing such storage practices could potentially create a political firestorm, similar to when Trump’s document storage at Mar-a-Lago was found to contain photos of boxes of documents kept in a bathroom and walk-in shower.
At the time of their discovery, Biden was being questioned by members of the media when Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked the president how he could “keep classified materials (in his garage) next to your Corvette.” What did you think?’ – a reference to his classic 1967 Stingray, which his son Hunter had rebuilt for him as a Christmas present.
“By the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage, okay? It’s not like sitting outside on the street,” Biden shot back. He confirmed that the documents were kept in a locked garage and said, “Yes, as well as my Corvette.”
The classic car, a wedding gift from his father more than 50 years ago, is valued at $78,000.
“People know that I take classified documents and classified materials seriously,” Biden said at the time.
A web ad from Biden’s presidential campaign shows him backing his classic car into his garage — with boxes and an exposed lampshade in the background.
He said lawyers discovered “a small number of documents with secret markings in storage areas and filing cabinets in my home and my personal library.”
The classified documents are believed to contain information about Iran, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and personal family information, including documents about the funeral of the late Bidens son Beau.