WASHINGTON, Feb 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - An upcoming special counsel report is
critical of the handling of classified documents by President Joe Biden and
his aides but does not any recommend criminal charges, The Washington Post
reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said the report by special counsel Robert Hur into the
discovery of classified documents at Biden's home and former office was
expected to be released in the coming days.

Hur was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland last year after
classified material dating from Biden's time as vice president was found in
2022 at his residence in Wilmington, Delaware, and in a former office.

Former president Donald Trump, Biden's likely opponent in the November
presidential election, is currently facing charges involving alleged
mishandling of classified documents.

The 77-year-old Trump pleaded not guilty in June to multiple charges of
unlawfully retaining national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct
justice and making false statements.

Trump was indicted by another special counsel, Jack Smith, and accused of
endangering national security by holding on to top secret nuclear and defense
information after leaving the White House.

Trump kept the files -- which included records from the Pentagon, CIA and
National Security Agency -- unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and
thwarted official efforts to retrieve them, according to the indictment.

He is scheduled to go on trial in Florida in May.

The Post said there were significant differences between the Biden and Trump
investigations.

It said the number of documents involved in the Biden case was fewer than 20
while the Trump probe involved roughly 300 found at his home.

Trump also allegedly sought to mislead investigators while Biden has
cooperated and was interviewed by Hur, the special counsel, in October along
with dozens of current and former staffers, the newspaper said.

Biden aides told the Post that the documents unintentionally ended up at his
home and office because of "sloppy staff work."