Report Clears Biden of Wrongdoing

A long-awaited report cleared President Joe Biden of any wrongdoing in his mishandling of classified documents but dropped a political bombshell by painting the Democrat as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

The report removed a legal cloud hanging over Biden as he seeks reelection in a contest expected to be against Donald Trump.

The 81-year-old Biden, speaking at a Democratic Party meeting, said he was "pleased to see they reached the conclusion… that no charges should be brought."

He said the "exhaustive" investigation found he had cooperated "completely," in contrast with Trump who refused to return top secret documents and "obstructed justice."

The president noted that he had granted five hours of interviews to the special counsel on October 8th and 9th, right as he was handling the start of the Israel-Hamas crisis.

He did not address the remarks about his memory that were included in the report.

US President Joe Biden addresses House Democrats in Leesburg, Virginia, saying the probe into his mishandling of classified documents found he had cooperated "completely" in contrast with Trump who refused to return top secret documents and "obstructed justice."

Hur was appointed by Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, last year after classified material was found at Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, and in a former office.

The 388-page report said Biden had "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials" in the period after he left the vice presidency -- well before he defeated Trump in 2020 to become president.

Hur added, however, unusually pointed remarks about Biden's mental capacities.

He wrote that a jury would not want to convict Biden, who came across to investigators as a "sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory."