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The findings of Special Counsel Robert Hur's probe into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents could soon be made public, with the White House reportedly worried about what they could reveal.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur to investigate the appearance of classified documents at Biden's home and an office in Washington D.C. in January 2023, and there is speculation the report could be released some time this week.
It is not expected that Hur's investigation will recommend that Biden be criminally charged after Obama-era classified documents were discovered at his private residence in Delaware and a private office at the Penn Biden Center.
Unlike the federal classified documents probe into Donald Trump, where the former president has pleaded not guilty to 40 charges, Biden is not accused of attempting to obstruct the federal attempt to retrieve the sensitive documents found at his properties. Biden's lawyers previously assured they cooperated fully with the investigation and returned all the classified materials in question immediately upon their discovery.
Little has been revealed about Hur's investigation, with the special counsel not making any public statements regarding his probe. It has previously been confirmed by the White House that the president was interviewed by Hur's team as part of the inquiry in October 2023.
Last November, The Wall Street Journal reported that the president's son, Hunter Biden, as well as around 100 of Biden's aides, colleagues and family members have also been questioned under Hur's probe.
The Journal said Hur's report is likely to be "sharply critical" of Biden and his aides' handling of the classified documents, but it is not likely to result in a criminal case.
However, Biden's aides are said to be worried that Hur's findings could be potentially embarrassing for the president ahead of the 2024 election. According to Axios, those close to the president believe that Hur's report could include damaging photos which showed how Biden stored classified documents.
The White House and the Department of Justice have been contacted for comment via email.
Sarah Bedford, a reporter for the Washington Examiner, said that the National Archives and Records Administration confirmed via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that there is at least one photo from one of Biden's offices which could be included in Hur's report.
Biden was previously criticized after it was revealed that a batch of classified materials had been discovered in the garage of his Wilmington home, next to his Corvette.
Biden dismissed the outcry at the time, suggesting the materials were safe as the garage was locked.
Trump, Biden's presumptive Republican challenger at the 2024 election, will likely use whatever appears in Hur's report to attack the president.
Trump has frequently tried to suggest there is an equivalency between the criminal accusations he faces under Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation, and Biden's handling of classified materials.
Trump was previously met with widespread mockery after the Department of Justice released photos that showed the Republican kept boxes containing sensitive materials in easily accessible places at his Mar-a-Lago resort, including bathrooms.
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more