National security experts expressed a difference of opinion after a report, authored by special counsel Robert Hur, found that President Joe Biden had knowingly kept classified materials at his home for years and failed to return them.
What Happened: The report, which was the result of a year-long investigation, revealed that Biden had not turned in classified documents that he found in his Virginia home in 2017, NBC News reported. The report also disclosed that Biden had shared classified information with his ghostwriter on at least three occasions and stored notebooks full of state secrets in unlocked drawers in his home office.
While Hur found that the evidence of “willful retention” was not strong enough to warrant a prosecution, national security experts have criticized Biden’s actions.
"It may not be criminal, but it's reckless and awful, because you have no idea what sources and methods you are putting at risk," said Chuck Rosenberg, NBC News legal contributor and former federal prosecutor.
"Someone who served as the vice president of the United States should know better."
See Also: Trump Nemesis Chris Christie Says He Would Vote For Biden In 2024 If ‘Necessary To Save The Country’
White House spokesperson Ian Sams defended Biden, stating that the report did not support the claim of willful retention.
“The report also notes how, in early 2017, the President did find another marked classified document and did turn it in, via his aide, which illustrates precisely what he told the special counsel," Sams said.
"That if he had found classified documents he would have returned them."
Why It Matters: Special Counsel Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents concluded without criminal charges, despite finding evidence of willful retention and disclosure of sensitive military and national security information.
Moreover, the report contradicts the White House’s previous claims that Biden was unaware of the classified documents in his home and office. This adds to the mounting concerns over Biden’s memory lapses.
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), has urged House Republicans to halt the impeachment inquiry into Biden following the indictment of an FBI informant. Raskin’s call for the end of the impeachment inquiry came after the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Alexander Smirnov with making false claims about Biden.
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