Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded that US President Joe Biden intentionally withheld confidential documents from his time as vice president, but decided not to bring charges against him.
“Our investigation found evidence that President Biden intentionally withheld and disclosed confidential materials after his vice presidency, when he was a private citizen,” Hur said in a report released this Thursday (8).
However, the prosecutor concluded that there is not sufficient justification to bring charges against the agent.
According to Hur, prosecuting Biden would be “unjustified under consideration of aggravating and mitigating factors,” explaining that the evidence “does not establish the guilt” of the president “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Biden has been under investigation since confidential documents from his time as Barack Obama's vice president (2009-2017) were found in his home in the state of Delaware and in a private office a year ago.
In the document, the prosecutor explains that Biden showed a “significantly limited memory” during the interrogation he was subjected to in 2023.
The report even states that the president could not remember the dates on which he served as vice president and had difficulty remembering the date of his son Beau's death in 2015.
In response to the release of the report, Biden issued a statement in which he expressed satisfaction that he had not been charged, but made no mention of the prosecutor's allusions to his memory.
“I am pleased to see that they have reached the conclusion that I always thought they would: that no charges would be brought in this case and that the matter is closed,” said the president.
Biden further emphasized that he “fully cooperated [com os
procuradores]did not obstruct and did not seek delays” in the investigation.
The documents were found by Biden's lawyers in November and December 2022, and immediately turned over to the National Archives, the agency that is supposed to protect them. The Justice Department then opened an investigation.
Former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), Republican pre-candidate for this year's November elections, was also investigated for withholding official documents from his mansion in Florida and received 40 charges after refusing to hand them over for months. .
Trump criticized this Thursday the fact that the investigation against Biden has not resulted in an indictment and that “his crimes are being swept under the rug”.
“He mishandled confidential documents. He SOLD our country every step of the way – and now, his crimes are being swept UNDER THE CARPET!” the former president said in a statement distributed by his campaign team.
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