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☆ Biden and Jordanian king look to move Israel-Hamas war to a new phase
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden and King Abdullah II of Jordan met Monday aiming to figure out how to move the Israel-Hamas war into a new phase in which Israeli hostages are released and fighting stops for a prolonged period of time. “The key elements of the deal are on the table,” Biden said while addressing reporters alongside the king at the White House. “We cannot stand by and let this continue,” the Jordanian king told reporters. The president’s supporters have frequently pointed to the Israel-Hamas war as evidence of Biden’s mental faculties being in good shape. The Jordanian and Egyptian governments have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while Biden has resisted making a similar call.

Persons: Joe Biden, King Abdullah II, Jordan, ” Biden, I’ve, “, Biden, Abdullah, ”, ” Abdullah, Robert Hur’s, Biden’s amped, King Abdullah, Kamala Harris, Hur, ” Harris, Daniel Goldman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Blinken, CNN’s MJ Lee, Priscilla Alvarez, Betsy Klein, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Washington CNN, White, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, United Nations, Wing, Biden, Democratic, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Israeli, US, CNN Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, Rafah, Jordanian, “, New York, Jordan, Egypt, Amman, Gaza’s Al, Ahli, Iran

Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesThe Biden campaign circulated talking points to allies that were obtained by The Associated Press. Biden aides say they do not expect the president or his campaign to take on the age question more directly. Messina compared the special counsel's report to former FBI Director James Comey's October 2016 announcement that he was further investigating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of classified emails. Beyond celebrating the release of the special counsel's embarrassing descriptions of Biden, Trump won a new trove of delegates in Nevada's Thursday caucuses, where he ran unopposed. Barry Goodman, a Biden fundraiser from Michigan, said he’s had some donors “take a wait and see approach” about supporting Biden, even before the special counsel’s announcement.

Persons: Joe Biden's, couldn't, Biden, Robert Hur's, Beau, Hur, “, ” Sen, Brian Schatz, they’ve, Trump, MAGA, doesn’t, ”, —, Kamala Harris, LaJoia Broughton, can’t, Sleepy Joe, Kate Berner, “ Donald Trump, Jim Messina, Barack Obama’s, Messina, James Comey's, Hillary Clinton's, “ There’s, ” Messina, “ Trump, I’d, Trump's, Joe Biden, What’s, ” Donald Trump Jr, Barry Goodman, he’s, ” Goodman, Goodman, Trav Robertson, General Merrick Garland, “ Merrick Garland, ” Robertson, Biden's, gaffes, Nancy Pelosi, Nikki Haley, Biden didn't, Dan Goldman, Robert Garcia, Mike Johnson, ” Garcia, ” ___, Bill Barrow, Ayanna Alexander Organizations: WASHINGTON, Joe Biden's Democratic, Democrats, Capitol, “ Republicans, Trump, The Associated Press, Democratic, Biden, Clinton, South Carolina Democratic Party, Republican, ” ___ Peoples Locations: Hawaii, U.S, Florida, Washington, South Carolina, Columbia, Nevada's, Michigan, Mexico, Iran, Israel, New York, Atlanta

Bill Murphy, an 80-year-old retired veterinarian in suburban Phoenix, sometimes blanks on names he could once summon with ease, so he has empathy for 81-year-old President Biden. But he winced when he watched Mr. Biden defend his mental sharpness at a news conference, only to mix up the presidents of Egypt and Mexico. Mr. Murphy, a Republican, believes Mr. Biden is not up to another term. “I look at him as a peer,” said Ms. Meyer, who plans to vote for Mr. Biden. The special counsel report cleared him of criminal charges in his handling of classified documents but described him as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

Persons: Bill Murphy, Biden, Murphy, Mr, Mary Meyer, forgetful, ”, Meyer, “ Organizations: Republican Locations: Phoenix, Egypt, Mexico

☆ How Biden’s Mishandling of Classified Papers Differs From Trump’s Criminal Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A special counsel’s conclusion that “no criminal charges are warranted” against President Biden for possessing classified material while he was out of office stands in contrast with another special counsel’s decision to bring criminal charges against former President Donald J. Trump for keeping classified documents after he left the White House. After the Justice Department released the final report of the special counsel in the Biden documents inquiry this week, Mr. Trump sought to portray the two matters as equivalent and declared that he was being treated differently for political reasons. “You know, look, if he’s not going to be charged, that’s up to them — but then I should not be charged,” Mr. Trump said at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pa. “This is nothing more than selective persecution of Biden’s political opponent: me.”But despite their superficial similarity, the facts of the two cases are very different, as the report by the special counsel in the Biden inquiry — Robert K. Hur, a Republican whom Mr. Trump had previously appointed to two Justice Department positions — stressed. Here is a closer look.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, he’s, Mr, Robert K, Hur, — Organizations: Trump, White, Justice Department, Biden, Republican Locations: Harrisburg, Pa

Washington CNN —The White House on Friday did not rule out the possibility of releasing the transcript of President Joe Biden’s interviews with special counsel Robert Hur about his handling of classified documents, with the caveat that any classified information would have to be redacted. But pressed on whether Biden would support a release, Sams didn’t rule it out. Polling has shown that Biden’s age is the top concern from Democrat voters who otherwise support his policies. Those concerns have been amplified in the past week, as Biden has confused contemporary European leaders with leaders who ruled decades ago. He said that Hur told Biden he wanted him to “try to recall to the best of your abilities.”“That’s often what prosecutors would tell witnesses,” Sams said.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Robert Hur, Ian Sams, Biden, Sams, “, ”, Sams ’, Kamala Harris, –, ” Harris, Harris, Hur, ” Hur, ” Biden, ” Sams, ‘, ” “, Biden “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Biden, White Locations: Israel, “, willfulness

☆ Trump Calls His Classified Documents Case ‘Selective Persecution’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Michael Gold | Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump, who faces a criminal case accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents, blasted on Friday a special counsel’s decision not to charge President Biden for his handling of classified material, accusing prosecutors of an unfair double standard. “You know, look, if he’s not going to be charged, that’s up to them. But then I should not be charged,” Mr. Trump said at an event in Harrisburg, Pa. “This is nothing more than selective persecution of Biden’s political opponent: me.”Mr. Trump’s speech, at a forum hosted by the National Rifle Association, were his first public remarks on the matter since the special counsel, Robert K. Hur, released a report stating that, although Mr. Biden had “willfully” retained and disclosed classified material after his vice presidency had ended, no criminal charges were warranted. Mr. Trump said he had cooperated “with the very hostile and unfriendly feds” more than Mr. Biden, a claim unsupported by any evidence. Mr. Hur’s report said the president fully cooperated with his investigation, while Mr. Trump has been accused of misleading the government for months over the classified documents in his possession.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, he’s, Mr, Robert K, Hur, “, ”, Hur’s Organizations: National Rifle Association Locations: Harrisburg, Pa

☆ Fact check: Biden makes three false claims about his handling of classified information
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Where the classified material was storedBiden sought to contrast his handling of classified material with that of former President Donald Trump, who faces felony charges for willfully retaining classified documents. According to the special counsel, even classified documents Biden was storing elsewhere in his home were insufficiently secure. Hur wrote that Biden notebooks containing classified information from his vice presidency were found by investigators in “unlocked drawers in the office and basement den” of the home. The classification level of the documents Biden had in his possessionBiden claimed of the documents he possessed: “None of it was high classified. Biden shared information, including some classified information, from those notebooks with his ghostwriter.” He elaborated that Biden shared classified information with his ghostwriter by reading “nearly verbatim” from his notebooks “on at least three occasions,” including his “notes from meetings in the Situation Room.”Hur did find, however, that Biden “at times” tried to avoid sharing classified information, by stopping at or skipping over certain material from the notebooks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Biden, Hur’s, Donald Trump, Hur, Trump, “, Ian Sams, ” Sams, CNN’s MJ Lee, ”, Sams, weren’t, Barack Obama, ” Hur, Obama, Mr, Mark Zwonitzer, Afghanistan –, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal Organizations: CNN, ”, White, National Security, SCI, Mr, FISA, Virginia, National Security Council Locations: Lago, Biden’s Delaware, Afghanistan, Virginia, United States, “, Iraq, Delaware

CNN —In a fight over keeping the identity of witnesses protected in the criminal document mishandling case against Donald Trump, special counsel Jack Smith this week detailed myriad threats against prosecutors, judges and other witnesses. One threat against a witness has prompted a federal investigation, the special counsel’s office wrote in court filings. Possible witnesses against Trump are “routinely” being threatened in a way that could intimidate them from participating in the case, they added. Trump’s lawyers have sought to make public the witness names and related information in the case, since they have included them in court filings. “Their objective is plain—to delay trial as long as possible,” prosecutors wrote in a filing Thursday in the case.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Witnesses, ”, “, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Trump, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, ‘, Trump’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, FBI, Department, ”, National Archives, Records Administration, Department of Energy, ‘ Trump Locations: Florida, Mar

☆ Harris Calls Special Counsel Report on Biden ‘Clearly Politically Motivated’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Zolan Kanno-Youngs | More About Zolan Kanno-Youngs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Vice President Kamala Harris pushed back forcefully on Friday against a special counsel report that questioned President Biden’s memory, describing it as “politically motivated.”“The way the president’s demeanor in that report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated,” Ms. Harris said in response to questions from reporters at the White House. She also said Mr. Biden had sat down for in-person interviews with the special counsel’s office just a day after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. “It was an intense moment for the commander in chief of the United States of America,” Ms. Harris said. “He was in front of it all, coordinating and directing leaders who are in charge of America’s national security.”

Persons: Kamala Harris, ”, Ms, Harris, Biden, “ Organizations: White Locations: Israel, United States of America

☆ Biden’s allies can’t agree on how to combat questions about his age and memory
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

How damaging are all the renewed questions about age and mental acuity going to be? One Democratic member of the House responded to being told of the questions about age and memory raised in the report with a morbid laugh and sullen shake of the head. Inside the White House and among Biden’s reelection campaign staff, the tension is constant. Biden aides also feel themselves that this hasn’t been enough. Most importantly, they reflect what Biden aides have learned from experience: Nothing combats questions about the president’s competence as much as people seeing him in action.

Persons: Joe Biden, notecards, Biden, –, Donald Trump, couldn’t, he’s, Trump, ”, West, they’ve, Annie Kuster, “, ” Kuster, don’t, Kevin McCarthy –, Emanuel, Gabe Amo, Emmanuel Macron, François Mitterrand, Abdel Fattah el, ‘ Mitterrand, Dina Titus, “ Joe Biden, Jamie Raskin, Trump’s, Jean Caroll, Raskin, ” Biden, Biden’s, Kate Berner, Andrew Bates, “ Biden, ” Bates, Bates jabbed, Beau Biden, CNN’s Haley Talbot, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Virginia CNN, Democrats, CNN, Democratic, Trump, Washington, West Wing, New, Nevada Democrat, Senate, ” Maryland, “, White, Security, Republicans, Border Patrol Union, Biden, House Democrats Locations: Leesburg, Virginia, New Hampshire, Valley Forge, Charleston, Las Vegas, Rhode Island, Israel, Mexico, Egypt, Nevada, Wilmington , Delaware

☆ The White House Went Into Damage-Control Mode
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

White House officials and prominent Democrats today attacked the special counsel’s report into President Biden’s handling of classified material by labeling it politically motivated. The comments were part of an effort to discredit a document that characterized the president as elderly and forgetful. Vice President Kamala Harris and multiple House Democrats depicted the report, which legally exonerated Biden, as more of a political attack than an unbiased legal document. A spokesman for the White House Counsel’s Office suggested that the special counsel, Robert Hur, violated Justice Department policy. The report cast Biden, 81, as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” with “diminished faculties in advancing age.” It placed his age — an uncomfortable subject looming over his re-election bid — back at the center of America’s political conversation.

Persons: Biden’s, Kamala Harris, Biden, Robert Hur, — Organizations: White, Democrats, Counsel’s, Department

☆ Release of Hur Report Underlines Perils of the Special Counsel’s Job
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The man Mr. Garland tapped for the job, Robert K. Hur, has not been quite as cautious. On Thursday, Mr. Hur, 50, a former Justice Department official in the Trump administration, dropped a 345-page political bomb into the middle of the 2024 campaign, the final report summing up his investigation. The Hur report underlines the challenges of deploying special counsels, which are intended to shield prosecutors from political meddling, but often result in the release of negative information about high-profile targets who have been cleared of criminal wrongdoing. It also showed the complicated balance of the job — navigating a polarized environment that leaves little option but to expansively explain the rationale for any decision. Mr. Hur is no stranger to high-wire investigations and legal conflict.

Persons: General Merrick B, Garland, Biden’s, Robert K, Hur, Trump, Biden, Donald J, Mr, Rod J, Rosenstein —, Rosenstein, Robert S, Mueller III Organizations: Justice Department Locations: Russia

☆ Democrats Suffer a Comey Flashback
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Adam Nagourney | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For veterans of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign for president, yesterday brought back painful memories. The special counsel’s report on the handling of classified documents by President Biden instantly recalled how James Comey, then the F.B.I. director, concluded his investigation of Clinton for her handling of classified documents when she was secretary of state. Robert Hur, the special prosecutor in Biden’s case, cleared him of criminal wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents while he was vice president. In 2016, Comey likewise recommended that no criminal charges be filed against Clinton for using her private email server to handle official correspondence as secretary of state.

Persons: Hillary Clinton’s, Biden, James Comey, Clinton, ‘, ’ ”, Nick Merrill, Robert Hur, Comey

When President Biden appeared at a last-minute news conference on Thursday night, he hoped to assure the country of his mental acuity hours after a special counsel’s report had devastatingly referred to him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”Instead, a visibly angry Mr. Biden made the exact type of verbal flub that has kept Democrats so nervous for months, mistakenly referring to the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as the “president of Mexico” as he tried to address the latest developments in the war in Gaza. The special counsel’s report and the president’s evening performance placed Mr. Biden’s advanced age, the singularly uncomfortable subject looming over his re-election bid, back at the center of America’s political conversation. The 81-year-old president — already the oldest in the nation’s history — has for years fought the perception that he is a diminished figure. “My memory is fine,” he insisted on Thursday from the White House.

Persons: Biden, Abdel Fattah el, Biden’s, —, ” Locations: Egypt, Mexico, Gaza

☆ Biden erupts over special counsel’s report as aides look to short-circuit campaign risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Biden’s aides know there is no topic more likely to draw their boss’ fury than a slight against his family. Only about 45 minutes before Hur’s report was released publicly, the White House was working to downplay the verbal slip-ups, saying it’s common for people to misspeak. “Many people, elected officials … they can misspeak sometimes,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, citing recent examples from House Speaker Mike Johnson and TV host Sean Hannity. The report was released anyway, with the objections of Biden’s lawyers included – but only toward the end of the nearly 400-page report. “I was in the middle of handling an international crisis,” Biden said Thursday about an hour after the report was released.

Persons: Robert Hur’s, Joe Biden, Biden’s, Biden, ” Biden seethed, Hur, fumed, hasn’t, Daniel Goldman, ” Goldman, “, ” Biden, ”, Hur –, Donald Trump’s, forgetful, I’ve, –, CNN’s MJ Lee, Bidenworld, Helmut Kohl, Francois Mitterrand, …, Karine Jean, Pierre, Mike Johnson, Sean Hannity, she’s, Beau Biden’s, Hurt, Biden “, Beau, Israel – Organizations: Washington CNN, House, Democratic, Trump Justice Department, White, CNN, Biden, Republicans, Trump Locations: New York, Gaza, Mexico, Egypt, Israel

☆ Election 2024 Trump rolls in Nevada, Biden is roiled by a special counsel — and the race remains largely unchanged.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Chris Cameron | Michael Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Even in a campaign in which Mr. Trump’s dominance has sapped the race of much of its drama, his win in Nevada felt particularly preordained. Embarrassingly for Ms. Haley, she was heavily outvoted in that election by a “None of These Candidates” option on the ballot. She was essentially unopposed, but even without Mr. Trump on the ballot, Republican voters rejected her. Ms. Haley still won the contest, but its results were effectively immaterial. Mr. McDonald also repeatedly pushed false claims of voter fraud that remain at the heart of Mr. Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Nikki Haley, Embarrassingly, Haley, Trump’s, trouncing Ms, Haley’s, Biden, Max Whittaker, William E, ”, Susan Sevilleja, “, Michael J, McDonald, Biden’s, McDonald’s, Ron DeSantis, Kellen Browning Organizations: Nevada’s Republican, Associated Press, Nevada Republican Party, Republican Party, Republican, U.S . Virgin, Republicans, Democratic, Mar, The New York Times, Nevada Republicans, William, Orr Middle, White House, Mr, Trump, Gov Locations: Nevada’s, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Las Vegas

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special Counsel Robert Hur on Thursday released his long-awaited report on President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, concluding that Biden had “willfully” retained and disclosed highly classified materials when he was a private citizen. The special counsel report will hardly be helpful to Biden on that count. Biden’s memory was significantly limited” in interviews with the special counsel office as well as with a ghostwriter that Biden worked with. In his interview with the special counsel’s office, Hur writes, Biden twice appeared confused about when his term as vice president ended. Still, Trump can now cite special counsel Robert Hur’s finding that Biden retained and disclosed highly classified materials.

Persons: Robert Hur, Joe Biden's, Biden, “, ”, Donald Trump's, Hur, stashed, Weeks, —, he's, Beau’s, ‘, General Karl Eikenberry, Eikenberry, Mr, approvingly, Obama, it's Trump, Trump, Robert Hur’s, Jason Miller, Jack Smith’s, Hillary Clinton’s, James Comey, Clinton, Thursday’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Trump, FBI, Biden, TRUMP, Republican, White, U.S . Capitol, State Department Locations: Afghanistan, Delaware, Lago, Florida, Washington

The special counsel report found that Biden willfully retained classified information, including top secret documents, and knew he was in possession of some documents as far back as 2017. House Oversight Committee Republicans, who have separately investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents, criticized Hur’s report before it was even released or delivered to Congress. “Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite.” Hur wrote. “Among the places Mr. Biden’s lawyers found classified documents in the garage was a damaged, opened box containing numerous hanging folders, file folders, and binders,” the report said. The photos included in Trump’s charging documents showed how he allegedly stored classified documents in various places at his Mar-a-Lago estate, including a ballroom, bathroom shower and his bedroom.

Persons: Robert Hur’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Hur, ”, Donald Trump, Biden Hur, Biden’s, “, ” Hur, “ Mr, Tom Emmer, ” Emmer, X, Biden “, Hur’s, – Biden, Trump, Jack Smith, Smith, ’, Richard Sauber, Bob Bauer, Bauer, ” Bauer, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer Organizations: Washington CNN, flouting, Department, FBI, Trump, Republicans, GOP, Investigators, Biden, ”, Capitol, Judiciary, Department of Justice, Mar, White, National Archives, ” Sauber, flouted Locations: Biden’s Wilmington , Delaware, Afghanistan, Virginia, Delaware, Biden’s, Lago

Washington CNN —Special counsel Robert Hur released a searing report Thursday that concluded President Joe Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified military and national security information but recommended he not face charges after a yearlong investigation into his handling of classified documents. According to the report, Biden – during the 2023 interview – did not remember when his son Beau died nor the years he was vice president. US Department of JusticeDifferences between Trump and Biden classified documents investigationsThe report’s findings drew harsh criticism from Trump, who is preparing for a general election rematch with Biden in November. “Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite,” Hur wrote. “We do not believe that the report’s treatment of President Biden’s memory is accurate or appropriate,” Sauber and Bauer wrote.

Persons: Robert Hur, Joe Biden, “, ” Hur, ”, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Hur, wouldn’t, he’s, Hur “, Biden –, –, Beau, Joe Biden's, US Department of Justice “ Mr, Biden “, seething Biden, I’ve, ” Biden, Biden’s, Jack Smith, Richard Sauber, Bob Bauer, Bauer, ” Bauer, Sauber, General Merrick Garland, Biden's, Investigators, Steve Ricchetti, Kathy Chung, CNN’s Betsy Klein, Nikki Carvajal, Samantha Waldenberg Organizations: Washington CNN, of Justice, Republican, US Department of Justice, House, Trump, FBI, US Department of, Republicans, White, Biden, National Archives, Department of Justice, flouted, ” Sauber, CNN, Congressional, Justice Department Locations: Joe Biden's Delaware, Israel, Biden’s Wilmington , Delaware, Afghanistan, Florida, Delaware, Washington , DC, Ukraine, Iran, United Kingdom, Biden's Delaware

☆ Special counsel feeds frenzy over Biden’s age
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

An independent special counsel poured kerosene on concerns about Joe Biden’s age with pointed language about the president’s poor memory after concluding Biden had willfully mishandled classified documents – and that his failing memory makes him impossible to convict. ► He appears poised for a win at the Supreme Court. Feeding the frenzy about Biden’s ageIn concluding Biden should not be prosecuted, Special Counsel Robert Hur, a former Trump-appointed US Attorney in Maryland, offered a political indictment of the president’s fitness. Still, larger Trump-related questions loom for the Supreme Court, such as whether Trump enjoys absolute immunity from prosecution. Trump attorney Jonathan Mitchell speaks before the Supreme Court on February 8.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Biden, ” Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley’s, It’s, Robert Hur, Hur, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, “, ’, Beau, ”, Richard Sauber, Bob Bauer, Jamie Raskin, ” Raskin, CNN’s Wolf, General Merrick Garland, Biden’s, Lago, Hur’s, Barack Obama, Obama, –, Joe Biden's, Trump’s, Haley, Jonathan Mitchell, Bill Hennessy Trump’s Organizations: CNN, White House, Republican, Supreme, Trump, Oval, ”, Biden, Maryland Democrat, Democratic, House Democrats, National Archives, Mar, Department of Justice, Virgin Islands, South Locations: Nevada, Colorado, Maryland, Carolina, Virginia, Biden’s Delaware, Florida, Afghanistan, Joe Biden's Delaware, Virgin, South Carolina, Washington ,

☆ Special Counsel’s Report on President Biden and Classified Documents
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A PDF version of this document with embedded text is available at the link below:Download the original document (pdf)

☆ No Trial for Biden Over Documents, but a Political Mess
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The special counsel investigating President Biden’s handling of classified material after leaving the vice presidency in 2017 concluded in a report released today that “no criminal charges are warranted.”Robert Hur, the special counsel, found that Biden had “willfully” retained and disclosed some sensitive material, including notebooks with entries “implicating sensitive intelligence sources and methods.” Hur criticized the president for sharing some of the classified information with a ghostwriter, but added that the evidence “does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”For Biden, Hur’s decision not to prosecute was a long-awaited legal exoneration, but the special counsel’s report still turned out to be a political nightmare. In passages explaining his reasons not to pursue a trial, Hur said that Biden had presented himself as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and described interviews in which Biden could not recall when he served as vice president or what year his son Beau Biden died. A lawyer for Biden criticized parts of the report as “inaccurate and inappropriate.” In a statement, Biden appeared to suggest that his memory lapses were hiccups during five hours of interviews held in the days after Israel was attacked. But Hur’s comments resurfaced widespread worries about the president’s age.

Persons: Biden’s, ” Robert Hur, Biden, “, ”, ” Hur, Hur’s, Hur, Beau Biden Organizations: Biden Locations: Israel

☆ Special Counsel’s Report Puts Biden’s Age and Memory in the Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Michael D. Shear | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

[Reporter] “President Biden, something the special counsel said in his report is that one of the reasons you were not charged is because, in his description, you are a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” “I’m well meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president, and I put this country back on its feet. That’s totally –” [Reporter] “How bad is your memory, and can you continue as president?” “My memory is so bad I let you speak. That’s –” [Reporter] “Do you know if your memory has gotten worse, Mr. President?” “My memory is not – My memory is fine. My memory – Take a look at what I’ve done since I’ve become president.

Persons: Biden, “, I’ve, That’s, ”

Washington CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith’s office is defending how the federal government during Joe Biden’s presidency sought to repossess White House records Donald Trump took, and how the case evolved into a federal investigation. The prosecutors say Trump’s legal team has attempted to distort the events in his favor – including by claiming he had a security clearance that extended past his presidency. But the prosecutors on Friday wrote Trump’s team “not only knew” of the Biden White House being part of the discussion, they also approved of it. On Friday, the special counsel’s office argued the case’s evolution followed Justice Department protocol, including in how White House employees spoke with DOJ officials. According to the filing, there has not been any communication between prosecutors and Biden or senior White House political officials either about the investigation or otherwise.

Persons: Jack Smith’s, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, “, ”, Trump, they’ve, Jonathan Su, Biden, –, Intelligence Community “, Trump’s, ” Smith’s, it’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Trump, National Archives, Justice Department, Biden White House, Department of Energy, White House, Biden White, Counsel’s, DOJ, Department, White, ” Prosecutors, . Prosecutors, of Energy, DOE, Intelligence, Department of Defense, Prosecutors, Trump Organization, FBI, Defense, Service, Mar, FBI Headquarters, Biden, NARA, National Security Council, Records Management, Intelligence Community Locations: Trump’s Florida, Florida, Mar, Lago, magnetometers

CNN —The federal appeals court in Washington, DC, declined to rehear arguments over whether former President Donald Trump can be prohibited from talking about witnesses and court staff while he awaits trial in the special counsel’s January 6 criminal case. Trump has unsuccessfully tried to challenge the gag order placed on him by Judge Tanya Chutkan late last year through appeals. The 11 judges from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday declined to touch the case after a three-judge panel previously upheld the gag order against Trump. Trump can appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, and his attorneys have previously indicated that they would appeal the matter to the nation’s highest court if necessary. But the court said the gag order does not apply to comments made about special counsel Jack Smith and narrowed the prohibition Trump had regarding speaking about witnesses in the case, a change from the original gag order.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Tanya Chutkan, Jack Smith, Patricia Millett, Nina Pillard, Bradley Garcia, —, “ Mr, Trump’s Organizations: CNN, DC, Trump Locations: Washington , DC

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