President Joe Biden’s advisers are afraid of the imminent release of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report into the handling of classified documents discovered at Biden’s private residences.
Aides worry that potentially explosive photos in the report showing Biden’s illegal storage of classified documents will “devastate” his re-election chances.
The classified materials were retrieved last year from Biden’s former office and Delaware garage, carried over from his tenure as Vice President.
Biden has previously defended taking and storing classified documents in his garage.
“By the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage, so it’s not like they’re sitting out on the street,” he said.
The sensitivity reflects parallel scrutiny of former President Donald Trump’s own document practices.
Trump faces over 40 counts for improper retention of classified documents after leaving office. His campaign is expected to highlight the contrasts in the probes’ outcomes and the criminal charges Trump faces, a serious worry for Biden’s team.
Sources believe Special Counsel Hur, who was appointed by Trump, could release the report this week, though the exact timing remains unknown.
In a recent interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Attorney General Merrick Garland has promised transparency regarding the special counsel findings “to the extent permissible under the law” and vowed to explain his decision “to prosecute or not prosecute, and their strategic decisions along the way.”
“Usually, the special counsels have testified at the end of their reports, and I expect that that will be the case here,” Garland said.
But some, like Garland’s former senior adviser Anthony Coley, accused Biden’s team of slow-walking the process, worsening discoveries.
“Against the backdrop of former President Trump’s indictment on charges of willful and deliberate retention of classified documents, the Biden team’s drip, drip, drip of information made the discoveries seem even worse,” he wrote in a recent op-ed.
In an early preview of the potentially embarrassing pictures, a popular image circulating social media shows Biden in his luxury car with boxes in the background that appear to be the classified documents.
Take a look —
SHOCK: Special Counsel Robert Hur is reportedly prepared to deliver a damning report on Biden's illegal mishandling of Obama's presidential records and other classified documents. The White House is concerned that it includes embarrassing photos of his garage
h/t @mirandadevine pic.twitter.com/KDrMHp3WJF— @amuse (@amuse) February 4, 2024