Special prosecutor completes investigation of Biden for handling of classified documents, says Garland

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department special counsel investigating President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents has completed his investigation and the report is expected to be released soon to Congress and the public. Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers in a letter Wednesday.

Garland did not detail the conclusions of special counsel Robert Hur’s report, but said he was committed to revealing as much of the document as possible once the White House completes a review to identify potential confidentiality issues. That process is expected to be completed by the end of the week, spokesman Ian Sams said.

The investigation, which lasted a year, focused on Biden’s improper possession of classified documents during his time as senator and vice president of the country. Confidential documents were found in his Delaware home and in a private office he used since he served as vice president under Barack Obama upon his return to the White House.

The resolution of the investigation comes in a crucial year for the president, who is seeking re-election in a deeply polarized political climate. Although the conclusions are expected to dissipate the legal clouds hanging over Biden, criticism of his handling of the documents could undermine his ability to attack Donald Trump — his potential rival in November — over a pending accusation that the former president hoarded top-secret files in his Mar-a-Lago mansion and obstructed the FBI’s attempts to recover them.

Trump and other Republicans are likely to question the legitimacy of the investigation, claiming that it was launched by the Justice Department of Biden’s own administration.

But Garland sought to shield the department from accusations of bias and conflicts of interest by appointing Hur, who was a U.S. attorney for Maryland under President Trump, last year to handle the Biden probe, and appointing Jack Smith to oversee investigations into Trump.

While the investigations into Trump led to dozens of indictments against him for serious crimes last year, a different result is expected in the case of Biden. Justice Department policy prohibits charging a sitting president, and unlike the investigation into Trump, no evidence has emerged to suggest Biden engaged in similar conduct or intentionally kept files he was not supposed to have.