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WASHINGTON – Did special counsel Robert Hur cross a line when he attacked President Joe Biden’s intelligence in a report on his mishandling of classified documents? Former prosecutors, as well as some Republicans, claim he did more than that.
On Thursday, Mr. Biden himself angrily criticized Mr. Xu’s announcement that the president would not face criminal charges, partly because he is an “elderly man with a poor memory,” calling it a baseless slander.
The next day, prominent Democratic politicians came to Biden’s defense, including former Attorney General Eric Holder and Vice President Kamala Harris, both former prosecutors. Many other legal experts have said similar things on social media and in interviews with USA TODAY.
Some Republicans echoed this sentiment, arguing that Ho went too far in describing Biden’s performance in his meeting with prosecutors. Mr. Xu’s 388-page report included shocking details that the 81-year-old president allegedly did not remember when he was vice president or when his son Beau died of a brain tumor. was. Biden angrily refuted those accusations Thursday night.
“I think it’s outrageous. Prosecutors are taught that the Justice Department should talk through the charges, or they shouldn’t talk at all,” said a corruption veteran at the Justice Department. said Mark Lytle, a prosecutor who also worked in the White House Counsel’s Office during the Trump administration.
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Special Counsel’s “Jim Comey Moment”
“I’m not a fan of President Biden, but he hasn’t been charged with a crime and now he has to go out and protect himself. And it’s up to the jury or judge to decide whether those allegations are true. How can he defend himself when he’s not there?” asked Lytle, who describes himself as a Republican. “Mr. is.”
Like others, Mr. Lytle described Mr. Hur’s report as a “Jim Comey moment,” which then-FBI Director James Comey predicted Hillary Clinton would lose in the November 2016 presidential election. He was referring to his decision just 11 days earlier to publicly announce the reopening of an investigation into his private email server. To Donald Trump.
Comey also said in a lengthy press conference in July of the same year that there was “evidence of possible violations of law” by Clinton for her “extremely careless” handling of classified material. After slamming him, he added that he had no intention of actually indicting him, saying, “There are no decent prosecutors.” A lawsuit against her. Comey’s comments gave Trump ammunition to defeat Clinton in the general election and prompted a sharp rebuke from the Justice Department’s inspector general.
Mr. Hur, who was a career Justice Department official and prosecutor before President Trump appointed him Maryland’s attorney in 2018, has not publicly commented on his bombshell remarks or the backlash from some of his colleagues. . Mr. Hoar was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland as special counsel in the Biden documents case.
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“This is not a standard prosecutorial examination.”
![Special Counsel Robert Hur served as Maryland's top federal prosecutor under President Trump. He was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate President Joe Biden's transfer of classified documents.](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/02/05/USAT/72485892007-robert-hur.jpeg?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Jonathan Turley, a nationally recognized conservative legal scholar and defense attorney, said such details are necessary to justify not indicting Biden after such a high-profile investigation. He defended Mr. Heo by saying that there is.
“This was not a standard prosecutorial review,” Turley told USA TODAY. “The special counsel is expected to submit a detailed report, and the special counsel is based in part on the fact that President Biden will not remember key facts and will make a sympathetic defendant.” “He made it clear that it was a serious concern to the president.” Prosecutors. ”
“I was surprised at first glance at these references and observations,” Turley said. “But to be fair to Mr. “It’s always important for[Biden]to explain why he couldn’t answer those questions.”
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“Reckless Boundary Line” editorial department comment
![President Biden on Thursday night slammed special counsel Robert Hur, who claimed he couldn't remember the year his son Beau Biden died of brain cancer.](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/02/09/USAT/72542137007-ap-biden-classified-documents-1.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Gene Rossi, a fellow federal prosecutor and longtime Justice Department official, said it was necessary for Mr. He said he understands that. He had confidential material in his possession, including conversations he had with a ghostwriter for a book he wrote after the Obama administration.
“But he crossed the line in the sense that he brought up details that probably have no bearing on whether President Biden broke the law,” Rossi said. “Whether President Biden allegedly doesn’t remember when his son died, which I think is completely ridiculous if that’s the case, but whether President Biden knowingly kept documents. It has nothing to do with that suspicion.”
Rossi added: “President Biden’s strong language about mental strength and age gives me pause because, frankly, it was borderline reckless op-ed writing.” “They could have done it in a more professional manner, and I think those sentences are completely unnecessary.”
opinion:The special counsel called Biden an “elderly man with a poor memory.” So is he a Democrat?
Alan Lichtman, a presidential historian and professor at American University, said Ho’s report was clearly an unnecessary personal attack on Biden.
“I have to say this special counsel report was disgraceful,” Lichtman told CNBC. “If you don’t accuse someone, you don’t attack them with your personal opinions, views, and innuendos.”
“Mr. James Comey was thoroughly and rightly accused of doing this in 2016…and now we’re seeing the same thing from Mr. Herr, which is completely inappropriate.” Lichtman said. Just know that there will be angry cries. ”
“Too many unnecessary statements”
Eric Holder, who spent his career as a prosecutor and attorney general under President Barack Obama, is one of many lawyers who said there were more details than necessary about Mr. Hur’s state of mind.
“Special Counsel Ho’s report on the Biden documents issue contains too many unwarranted statements and is completely inconsistent with the longstanding traditions of the Department of Justice,” Holder said on X (formerly Twitter). mentioned in one of several posts to. “Had this report been subject to the normal review by the Department of Justice, these statements would undoubtedly have been removed.”
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