Prosecutor rules out charging Biden in case of classified documents

First modification: 02/09/2024 – 00:36

4 min

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, was acquitted this Thursday, February 8, of charges for the retention of classified documents when he was vice president of the country. However, the conclusions of the Prosecutor's Office represent a hard blow for him since they underline his bad memory. of the president, who is seeking re-election at 81 years old. The prosecutor described Biden as an “old man, with good intentions and a bad memory” in explaining his decision.

Special prosecutor Robert Hur concluded in his report published this Thursday that there were no grounds to charge Joe Biden in the case of confidential documents found in 2022 in the now president's residence.

For the prosecutor, there are several reasons not to prosecute the president of the United States, including the fact that he was authorized to take certain documents home when he was vice president.

In response, the White House praised the lack of prosecution, but regretted the prosecutor's “inappropriate comments” about the president's memory.

Read alsoClassified Documents: What the US National Archives are and why they are important

“As the special counsel's report recognizes, errors in packaging documents at the end of an Administration or when members of Congress leave office are unfortunately common. They have happened with every Administration, Republican and Democratic, in the last 50 years,” he declared. Richard Sauber, special adviser to the president in the White House, in a statement.

“We disagree with several inaccurate and inappropriate comments in the special counsel's report. However, the most important decision made by the special counsel, that no charges are warranted, is firmly based on facts and evidence,” he added.

For its part, Joe Biden considered that “the matter is closed.” “Throughout my entire political career, I have always worked to protect the security of the United States. I take these issues seriously and no one has doubted that,” wrote the 81-year-old Democrat, candidate for a second term.

“I cooperated fully, did not put up obstacles and did not seek delays. In fact, he was so determined to give the special prosecutor what he needed that I accepted five hours of in-person interviews over two days, on October 8 and 9 of last year, even though Israel had been attacked on October 7 and I was in the middle of managing an international crisis,” Biden added.

Biden's age has generated division among voters. Analysts consulted by France 24 maintain that, as a first measure, Biden, 81 years old – he will turn 82 on November 20, two weeks after the presidential elections –He is already the oldest president in the history of the United States –has the challenge of convincing voters that he can last four more years in office, amid, in addition, his low approval ratings.

In this regard, a survey from Yahoo News/YouGov, released January 30, points out that, although there is resignation regarding the consolidation of Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate, the low enthusiasm is evident among the voters consulted (1,594 American adults), especially due to the president's age: only 33% believe that he is “in a position to fulfill another mandate”; while a majority (56%) says no.

An issue that has bothered the White House since 2022

At the end of 2022, a series of confidential documents were found in an office occupied by Joe Biden at a think tank in Washington, and at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on the east coast of the United States.

These documents date back to the Democrat's Vice Presidency (2009-2017), during Barack Obama's term. and to his three decades in the Senate, during which he was heavily involved in foreign policy.

In accordance with government regulations, access to classified documents is restricted to authorized persons and these must be stored in secure cabinets. Additionally, under the Presidential Records Act, official documents, classified or unclassified, must be archived in the National Archives once an Administration leaves office.

The Biden Administration had confirmed that approximately a dozen documents classified as confidential were found in a “locked closet” at the Penn Biden Center, a think tank where Joe Biden used to have an office. “I was surprised to learn that government-related documents had been taken to this office. But I don't know what's in the documents,” the president had told reporters at the time.

These discoveries put the White House in an awkward position, recalling an incident in which former Republican President Donald Trump took a large amount of official files to Florida.

Several members of the Republican Party quickly drew parallels with the criticized actions of Donald Trump, who stored boxes full of documents in his Florida residence, and expressed outrage at the apparent disparities in treatment by law enforcement, which They accuse of applying a double standard.

Read alsoHow are the classified documents that Biden had different from those of his predecessor?

In both cases, the retention of these documents is illegal, regardless of their quantity, content or storage conditions. However, retaining and moving classified documents usually only gives rise to legal action if it is considered a deliberate act, especially if there is an intention to conceal it.

Reuters, Local media