Staff Reports
Robert Hur, the special counsel who conducted a thorough investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, made it crystal clear during a congressional hearing on Tuesday that he did not give the president a free pass, despite choosing not to pursue charges against him.
Hur corrects House Democrat: ‘I did not exonerate’ Joe Biden https://t.co/Vlj840Khbb https://t.co/Vlj840Khbb
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 12, 2024
Hur, in his report released last month after a yearlong investigation, highlighted that he found evidence suggesting that President Biden knowingly held onto classified information after leaving the vice presidency, putting national security at risk. Although keeping classified material without authorization is against the law, Hur explained that he didn’t have enough evidence to meet the standard required for pressing charges.
Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) insisted that Hur’s report essentially exonerated President Biden by stating, “no criminal charges are warranted in this matter.” However, Hur emphasized that the term “exoneration” was not used in his report and that absolving the president from all wrongdoing was not part of his duty as a prosecutor.
Even though Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler (D-NY) went so far as to declare Hur’s report a “complete and total exoneration” of President Biden, Hur stood firm, stating that such a phrase was never used in his report and was not aligned with his findings.
During the hearing, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) gave Hur the opportunity to clarify directly whether he completely exonerated President Biden, to which Hur affirmed that his report did not do so.
When Kiley asked if a “reasonable juror” could have found President Biden guilty of mishandling classified materials, Hur responded affirmatively, thereby emphasizing that the evidence against President Biden was indeed damning.
Hur’s testimony didn’t give the Democrats the free pass they had hoped for, making it clear that the investigation may have revealed more about President Biden’s questionable actions than they anticipated.
