While former President Donald Trump was recently indicted on various charges related to his alleged possession of classified documents, there have been few public updates in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation of Joe Biden for similar concerns over mishandling of classified information.
The Justice Department appointed Special Counsel Robert Hur on Jan. 12 to investigate President Biden for his handling and possession of classified documents, some of which date back decades to Biden’s time in the Senate. The documents, discovered from November 2022 to January 2023, have been found at the President’s former office at his D.C. think tank and his garage at his Delaware home.
However, after nearly six months since the investigation began, there have been few updates from Hur or the Justice Department, and reports indicate key steps of the investigation have yet to be undertaken.
“Hur’s investigation of classified documents allegedly found to be improperly in Biden’s possession appears to have all but disappeared,” wrote Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University, in a column Wednesday. “The concern in many minds is that, once again, there may be a stark difference in how the Justice Department pursues Trump versus his opponents.”
Since his appointment, it remains unclear whether Hur has filed for any subpoenas, or requested a statement from Biden, who has said that he is “cooperating fully and completely” with the DOJ investigation. Three people familiar with the matter told NBC News that even with Biden’s apparent cooperation, he still has yet to be interviewed by Hur – despite months of prep time by his aides.
“I think you’re going to find there’s nothing there – I have no regrets,” Biden said to a reporter in January. “I’m following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. There’s no ‘there’ there.” (RELATED: ‘Not Done Well’: Biden Blames Other People For Mishandling His Classified Documents)
NEW: “There’s no there there,” President Biden says in response to a question on the classified documents found at his home and former office, while delivering remarks in California.
“I think you’re going to find there’s nothing there. I have no regrets.” https://t.co/iGTyH4atBx pic.twitter.com/0C0AWDkbfO
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 20, 2023
Turley told Fox News Digital that Hur and the DOJ might be protecting Biden by avoiding an interview entirely.
“Hur can insulate President Biden by avoiding a direct interview or statement from him on these facts,” Turley said to Fox. “It is a crime to lie to federal investigators under 18 U.S.C. 1001. With Trump, the Justice Department was highly aggressive. The public is likely to watch to see if Hur shows the same no-holds-barred attitude of Smith.”
Wall Street Journal columnist James Freeman wrote Wednesday that Biden should be more forthcoming in his cooperation with investigators to resolve the probe.
“But if Mr. Biden—who claimed to be unaware of how all the documents that shouldn’t have been in his office, home and garage ended up in his office, home and garage—was sincere in claiming how seriously he took such issues, he could be much more helpful in bringing the facts to light,” Freeman wrote.
Last week, Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan asked the DOJ to provide “an unredacted copy of the memorandum outlining the scope and Special Counsel Hur’s probes regarding President Biden and any supporting documentation related to his appointment as special counsel.”
The Special Counsel’s Office declined to provide a comment to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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