Joe Biden 'wilfully' disclosed classified materials, but won't face criminal charges

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Joe Biden 'wilfully' disclosed classified materials, but won't face criminal charges

Joe Biden “wilfully” retained and disclosed highly classified materials from his time as vice president when he was a private citizen, a Justice Department report has said.

Among the documents were details on military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other sensitive national security matters.

The report from special counsel Robert Hur, released Thursday, represents a harshly critical assessment of President Biden’s handling of sensitive government materials – characterising him as an "elderly man with a poor memory"

The findings will likely blunt his ability to forcefully condemn his likely presidential election opponent Donald Trump over a criminal indictment charging him with illegally hoarding classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

“Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen," Mr Hur wrote.

While the report removes legal jeopardy for the president, it is a major embarrassment for Biden, who placed competency and experience at the core of his pitch to voters.

“Mr Biden was known to remove and keep classified material from his briefing books for future use, and his staff struggled — and sometimes failed — to retrieve those materials,” the report states.

“There was no procedure at all for tracking some of the classified material Mr Biden received outside of his briefing books”

In declining to prosecute Biden, Mr Hur’s office also cited what it said was Biden’s “limited memory” both during his 2017 recorded conversations with the ghostwriter and in an interview with investigators last year.

“Given Mr Biden’s limited precision and recall during his interviews with his ghostwriter and with our office, jurors may hesitate to place too much evidentiary weight on a single eight-word utterance to his ghostwriter about finding classified documents in Virginia, in the absence of other, more direct evidence.”

The report follows a yearlong investigation into the improper retention of classified documents by Biden, from his time as a senator and as vice president, that were found at his Delaware home, as well as at a private office that he used in between his service in the Obama administration and becoming president.

The investigation into President Biden is separate from special counsel Jack Smith’s inquiry into the handling of classified documents by Trump after Trump left the White House.

Mr Smith’s team has charged Trump with illegally retaining top secret records at Mar-a-Lago home and then obstructing government efforts to get them back. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

After Mr Biden's lawyers uncovered classified documents at his former office, his representatives promptly contacted the National Archives to arrange their return to the government.

The National Archives notified the FBI, which opened an investigation. Biden made his homes available to agents to conduct thorough searches, and that is how the most sensitive documents came to the attention of the Justice Department.

Mr Biden could not have been prosecuted as a sitting president, but Mr Hur’s report states that he would not recommend charges against him regardless.

“We would reach the same conclusion even if Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president,” the report said.

Part of the report centers on Biden’s handling of classified documents about Afghanistan — specifically, the Obama administration’s decision to send additional troops there — that he retained after he left office as vice president in his Delaware home.

Mr Biden preserved materials documenting his opposition to the troop surge, including a 2009 classified handwritten memo to then-President Barack Obama.

“These materials were proof of the stand Mr Biden took in what he regarded as among the most important decisions of his vice presidency,” the report said.

The documents have classification markings up to the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information Level and were found in a box in Biden’s Delaware garage “that contained other materials of great significance to him and that he appears to have personally used and accessed”.

Photographs included in the report showed some of the classified Afghanistan documents stored in a worn cardboard box stored in his garage, apparently in a loose collection with other household items, including a ladder and a wicker basket.

Classified documents from the Obama administration were also found in Biden’s basement den, according to the report. Classified documents from his time in the Senate in the 1970s and 1980s were also found in his garage.

The report cites multiple reasons for not recommending prosecution, including the fact that as vice president, and during his subsequent presidency, Mr Biden "had the authority to keep classified documents at his home”.

The Hamas attack on Israel has thrust Biden into the Middle East conflict and has him fending off Republican criticism.

As part of the probe, investigators reviewed a recording of a February 2017 conversation between Biden and his ghostwriter in which, referring to the 2009 memo to Obama, Biden said that he had “just found all the classified stuff downstairs.”

Mr Biden was renting a home in Virginia at the time and consolidated his belongings in Delaware when he moved out in 2019. Prosecutors believe that Mr Biden’s comment was a reference to the same classified records that FBI agents later found in his Delaware home.

Though the best case for charges could involve his possession of the Afghanistan documents as a private citizen, prosecutors said, it was possible that Mr Biden could have found those records at his Virginia home in 2017 and then forgotten about them soon after.
“This could convince some reasonable jurors that he did not retain them willfully,” said the report.

It added that there was some evidence to suggest that Mr Biden knew he could not keep classified handwritten notes at home after leaving office. Yet his kept notebooks containing classified information in unlocked drawers at home.

“He had strong motivations to do so and to ignore the rules for properly handing the classified information in his notebooks,” the report said.

“He consulted the notebooks liberally during hours of discussions with his ghostwriter and viewed them as highly private and valued possessions with which he was unwilling to part.”

There is recent Justice Department precedence for criminal charges against individuals accused of sharing classified information with biographers or ghostwriters; Gen. David Petraeus pleaded guilty to doing exactly that in 2015 and was sentenced to probation.

Yet in this instance, prosecutors say, Mr Biden could have plausibly believed that the notebooks were his personal property and belonged to him, even if they contained classified information.

[Crazedwraith]

pretty bruising report.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Needless to say, Trump has latched on to this despite being arguably worse

[Gandalf]

Needless to say, Trump has latched on to this despite being arguably worse

It won't matter if Trump is worse if Biden has done it too.

"I'm not as bad as the other guy" is not a great campaign line.

[Batman]

It should be. We're talking' 'not perfect' candidate vs 'It's dubious it's physically possible to be shittier than this guy' candidate.

[Gandalf]

Or people stay home because they're both crap.

Genocide Joe really needs to turn it around.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

President Biden's fury after his memory and cognitive ability questioned in key report

Last night in Washington we witnessed a political drama worthy of the volcanic Trump years.

A president incandescent with rage giving a late-night address to the nation. A Special Counsel's report that was politically devastating.

Opponents declaring that the president is no longer fit for office.

What made the reaction so remarkable was that Robert Hur, the special prosecutor, had decided not to press charges against President Joe Biden. But he did something almost as damaging.

He took direct aim at the greatest political vulnerability that Biden faces - his age, along with grave doubts among voters about the president's mental agility.

Hur wrote that he wouldn't charge Biden with mishandling secrets because he was a "well meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" and suffered "diminishing faculties in advancing age."

Ouch.

This isn't an elderly neighbour Hur was describing. But the president of the United States - a leader with potentially another five years left in office.

Compounding the sense of fury in the White House was the report's wounding assertion that Biden couldn't even remember the date of his son's death or the years he had been vice president.

That led to a car-crash of a hastily-arranged primetime televised address from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room.

Biden angrily rejected Robert Hur's report that he had knowingly mishandled secret documents, even though there was a box crammed with classified information stored in his Delaware garage.

It was a furious performance by Biden, snapping at reporters. If he had stopped then, judgements might not have been too harsh.

But having walked away from the podium, Biden then returned and - excruciatingly for his staff - haltingly spoke about the Middle East. Misspeaking, Biden declared that el-Sisi, the Egyptian leader, was the Mexican president.

With those few words, instead of overcoming the concerns about his cognitive decline, Biden validated his critics and gave his opponents ammunition all the way to election day.

The Speaker of the House declared on Twitter/X that Biden was no longer fit for office.
And Donald Trump joined the bandwagon, railing against what he called a two-tiered justice system.

Americans now have the prospect of two presidential candidates, one facing numerous criminal charges, the other credibly assessed to have significant cognitive issues, battling it out for nine months.

Voters may well be asking: How on earth did it come to this?

[Crazedwraith]

Is it too TRR/Chicken Little to declare we're getting four more years of Trump at this point?

[3-Body Problem]

Is it too TRR/Chicken Little to declare we're getting four more years of Trump at this point?

Is there some way we can get both of them declared ineligible?

[Solauren]

Is it too TRR/Chicken Little to declare we're getting four more years of Trump at this point?

I'm hoping he gets kicked off the ballot still.

Fortunately, I'm Canadian, so it don't matter that much to me

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I remember when he was elected that there would be speculation that he would only serve a single term and not stand for re-election. If he does, I imagine the chances of another Democrat mounting a primary challenge just went way up because of the events of the last 36-48 hours. Question is, who is going to be that challenger?

[bilateralrope]

Is it too TRR/Chicken Little to declare we're getting four more years of Trump at this point?

A bit. One thing I've noticed in a few survey results is that a lot of people who currently say they will vote for Trump say that they will change their mind if they get any criminal convictions. Right now:
- The Georgia case and the classified documents are unlikely to reach trial before the election.
- The DC election interference has got the ruling that Trump isn't immune. It could easily complete the trial before election day, unless Trump manages to get someone else to take the immunity appeal. But an en banc panel seems unlikely after the unanimous ruling so far and SCOTUS comments in the 14th amendment case sound like they won't grant cert.
- If he manages to get DC delayed again, there is still the hush money trial

[bilateralrope]

I remember when he was elected that there would be speculation that he would only serve a single term and not stand for re-election. If he does, I imagine the chances of another Democrat mounting a primary challenge just went way up because of the events of the last 36-48 hours. Question is, who is going to be that challenger?

What is the deadline for a primary challenger to declare themselves ?

[Rogue 9]

I remember when he was elected that there would be speculation that he would only serve a single term and not stand for re-election. If he does, I imagine the chances of another Democrat mounting a primary challenge just went way up because of the events of the last 36-48 hours. Question is, who is going to be that challenger?

What is the deadline for a primary challenger to declare themselves ?

Depends on the state. Several primaries have already happened.

[bilateralrope]

I remember when he was elected that there would be speculation that he would only serve a single term and not stand for re-election. If he does, I imagine the chances of another Democrat mounting a primary challenge just went way up because of the events of the last 36-48 hours. Question is, who is going to be that challenger?

What is the deadline for a primary challenger to declare themselves ?

Depends on the state. Several primaries have already happened.

That's why I asked. It already be too late for a primary challenger to get on enough ballots to have a chance.

[Ralin]

Needless to say, Trump has latched on to this despite being arguably worse

It won't matter if Trump is worse if Biden has done it too.

"I'm not as bad as the other guy" is not a great campaign line.

"My opponent will murder you and your family" is pretty decent though.

Would probably help if they started using it.

[Broomstick]

Fortunately, I'm Canadian, so it don't matter that much to me

I hope you're right, but Og only knows what could happen if Trump gets his wish. You're right next door and that could be uncomfortable if the our house starts burning down in a serious way.

[Zaune]

Yeah. The Republicans are going to find a way to make themselves everyone's problem.

[Tribble]

Fortunately, I'm Canadian, so it don't matter that much to me

I hope you're right, but Og only knows what could happen if Trump gets his wish. You're right next door and that could be uncomfortable if the our house starts burning down in a serious way.

Biden may be a senile old fool, but having a literal Hitler quoting Fascist in charge of the US would be an absolute disaster for us. At least if you enjoy living in an (admittedly flawed) multicultural democracy.

At best, a Trump win would embolden fascist movements within Canada in their own takeover bids and we would have a very tense relationship with the US, at least as long as any left wing government is in charge.

At worst, Trump could use the USA’s overwhelming military, political and economic power over Canada to support a fascist regime change, which sadly a fair number of Canadians may support.

It’s kind of like Belgium saying that Hitler being elected in Germany doesn’t really matter because they’re a different country. Canada shares a giant border with the USA, most of our trade is with the USA, and much of our culture is heavily influenced by the USA. We are not remotely prepared militarily, politically or economically for a literal fascist takeover of the US.

[Rogue 9]

Is it too TRR/Chicken Little to declare we're getting four more years of Trump at this point?

If anyone is paying the slightest bit of attention, they'll notice that Trump slurs his words, confuses basic facts, and lies a mile a minute in every public address, and is facing 91 criminal counts. Like, compared to the alternative this is peanuts as far as problems go.

[bilateralrope]

The GOP just needed to avoid staying anything stupid to maximise how this benefited them. That's too difficult for some of them.

Texas Lt Gov says it’s clear ‘Democratic deep state run by Obama’ taking Biden down

BY LAUREN IRWIN - 02/09/24 12:45 PM ET

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) pushed a conspiracy theory Friday that a Democratic “deep state” run by former President Obama is seeking to prevent President Biden from being the Democratic presidential nominee this fall.

“I’ve said for over a year many times that Joe Biden would not be on the ticket and Michelle Obama would be the likely nominee,” Patrick posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “It’s clear the Democrat deep state run by Barack Obama knew they had to take him down to give them a chance in November.”

Patrick alluded to the controversy Thursday when a special counsel — who had previously been appointed to a position by former President Trump — issued a report that said no criminal charges would be brought against Biden for his handling of classified documents outside a secure setting.

The report made numerous negative references to Biden’s age and memory, which were seized upon by Republicans. Biden then fiercely rebuked the report and took questions at a Thursday night news conference where he at one point confused Egypt’s president as the president of Mexico. Some Democrats have acknowledged problems with the presser.

While many Democrats have pointed fingers at the special counsel and suggested the report included cheap political shorts, Patrick saw a broad conspiracy involving the deep state and the Obama family. He argued the report itself was a setup.

“They set him up in the report calling him a ‘sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,'” he wrote. “They could have protected him by putting him in the Oval Office to read a statement with no press questions. Instead, they sent him out and fed him to a press – where he was a total embarrassment. He doesn’t have a memory and Kamala doesn’t have a brain. Now they have a real problem.”

Theories that former first lady Michelle Obama could be a sleeper Democratic presidential candidate have filled the airwaves for years. She is one of the most famous and well-liked political figures in the country but has indicated less-than-no-interest in running for office.

Karl Rove, the former strategist to President George W. Bush, just this week described the idea that Michelle Obama could run as a Democratic candidate for president as “pure lunacy,” though he did suggest it was possible Biden could bow out because of concerns about his age. Rove’s remarks came before the release of special counsel Robert Hur’s report.

[3-Body Problem]

Is it too TRR/Chicken Little to declare we're getting four more years of Trump at this point?

If anyone is paying the slightest bit of attention, they'll notice that Trump slurs his words, confuses basic facts, and lies a mile a minute in every public address, and is facing 91 criminal counts. Like, compared to the alternative this is peanuts as far as problems go.

The issue is that the left actually cares about effective governing of the nation while the right often votes single issue with much tighter party ranks. The issues faced by each candidate should hurt Trump more among the mushy middle but he could still win by having a bigger base that carries him in what could be an election with a very low and apathetic turnout.

[Broomstick]

Fortunately, I'm Canadian, so it don't matter that much to me

I hope you're right, but Og only knows what could happen if Trump gets his wish. You're right next door and that could be uncomfortable if the our house starts burning down in a serious way.

Biden may be a senile old fool, but having a literal Hitler quoting Fascist in charge of the US would be an absolute disaster for us. At least if you enjoy living in an (admittedly flawed) multicultural democracy.

I'm not convinced Biden is actually senile. The other thing is that Biden is at least willing to listen to other people. That's what saved us during Regan's second term when he actually was sliding into dementia.

It's not like Trump is fully functional upstairs. The man is making a shit-ton of gaffs these days and has confused Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi and presidents Obama and Biden multiple times. If either of the two is getting brain rot I'd think it would be Trump.

At best, a Trump win would embolden fascist movements within Canada in their own takeover bids and we would have a very tense relationship with the US, at least as long as any left wing government is in charge.

At worst, Trump could use the USA’s overwhelming military, political and economic power over Canada to support a fascist regime change, which sadly a fair number of Canadians may support.

It’s kind of like Belgium saying that Hitler being elected in Germany doesn’t really matter because they’re a different country. Canada shares a giant border with the USA, most of our trade is with the USA, and much of our culture is heavily influenced by the USA. We are not remotely prepared militarily, politically or economically for a literal fascist takeover of the US.

Let's be honest - the US isn't ready for it either. The vast majority of Americans trundle along still thinking "it can't happen here". Oh yes, it very much can.

[Ralin]

It's not like Trump is fully functional upstairs. The man is making a shit-ton of gaffs these days and has confused Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi and presidents Obama and Biden multiple times. If either of the two is getting brain rot I'd think it would be Trump

Yeah but we voted for Biden despite his possible brain rot. Trump's supporters view his brain rot as a feature, not a bug.

[Broomstick]

While Biden was not my first choice by any means I voted for him because I believed him far superior to Trump. And I still do. Very much a case of voting for the lesser evil.