The Attorney General released a letter Monday officially announcing an end to the probe into President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. The probe’s report is expected to be made public soon.
Biden’s reported mishandling of classified documents has raised many eyebrows after the heavily publicized prosecution of former President Donald Trump for the same transgression.
The investigation was sparked in November 2022 when some of Biden’s staff found classified documents at Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C. while packing up the contents of an office in the building previously used by Biden.
The Attorney General then appointed special counsel to direct a search of Biden’s residences, as well as the Penn Biden Center. More classified documents were discovered in his garage and other parts of his primary residence. No documents were found at any other residences. Around 20 documents were found.
The government is known to consider many types of documents as classified information, and all members of the government are required not to take home or disclose classified information to people without the proper security clearance. Nancy Pelosi speaks on the topic below:
Nancy Pelosi tells Jen Psaki "how important it is to protect [classified] documents" as a Member of Congress.
REMINDER: Joe Biden has *admitted* to hiding classified documents from when he was a senator — dating back to at least 1974. pic.twitter.com/g6dQPh4sk3
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 26, 2023
No charges will be brought against Biden, as it is tradition for the Justice Department not to prosecute a sitting president, instead leaving legal action in the jurisdiction of congress, through impeachment laws.
One notable point is that some of Biden’s documents come from before his time as President, and even his time as Vice President. Some of the classified documents found date back to when Biden was still a senator — and shouldn’t have had access to them. Luckily for the President, his position protects him from past mishandling of documents as well.
Despite the lack of charges, the results of this probe will still have political ramifications for the President. Not only does the mishandling of classified documents make it more difficult for the Biden administration to attack Trump for the same thing, the photos that will be released in the report are speculated to be a bit embarrassing for Biden.