US President Joe Biden “willfully retained” classified documents after serving as vice president, but he will not face criminal charges for taking them, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
Special Counsel Robert Hur said he decided not to pursue criminal charges because Biden cooperated with his investigation and would likely prove a sympathetic defendant at trial.
“We have 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,” Hur wrote.
Biden says the matter is closed
Biden said he was pleased that a special counsel concluded an investigation into his handling of classified documents without bringing charges.
“I was pleased to see they reached the conclusion I believed all along they would reach – that there would be no charges brought in this case and the matter is now closed,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
“I cooperated completely, threw up no roadblocks, and sought no delays,” Biden added.
White House objects to ‘inappropriate comments’
The White House also said it was “pleased” that the special counsel’s investigation was over, but objected to “inaccurate and inappropriate comments.”
“We disagree with a number of inaccurate and inappropriate comments in the Special Counsel’s report,” Biden’s White House lawyer, Richard Sauber, said in a statement.
Hur’s conclusion ensures that Biden, unlike his expected 2024 presidential rival Donald Trump, will not risk jail time for mishandling sensitive government documents.
But it could cause further embarrassment for the 81-year-old Biden as he tries to convince voters that he is not too old to serve another four-year term.
dh/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP)
