House Republicans Pursue Testimony from Special Counsel Robert Hur on Biden’s Handling of Classified Documents
House Republicans are seeking the testimony of special counsel Robert Hur regarding his report on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. The report, released last week, did not charge the president with a crime but portrayed him as a forgetful commander in chief who failed to adequately protect highly sensitive classified information. Republicans are capitalizing on this depiction, seeing it as an opportunity to undermine Biden politically.
According to three sources familiar with the matter, House Republicans have reached out to Robert Hur to discuss his potential testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Hur has retained Bill Burck as his personal attorney, and while no date has been set, they are looking towards the end of February for the hearing. The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.
In light of the report, House Oversight Chairman James Comer has called on the Justice Department to provide his committee with all classified materials related to the Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Comer argues that Congress needs access to these documents to determine if Biden’s retention of sensitive materials was used for influence peddling.
Furthermore, House Oversight Republicans are urging the Justice Department to release the full transcript of President Biden’s interview with the special counsel, which is quoted in the final report.
It is worth noting that previous special counsels appointed during the Trump presidency, Robert Mueller and John Durham, testified before Congress once they submitted their reports to the Justice Department. Mueller reluctantly appeared before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees in July 2019, providing halting and stilted responses that largely adhered to his report. The negotiations for his appearance were protracted and eventually resulted in him testifying after being subpoenaed.
Similarly, Durham testified before the House Judiciary Committee last June about his investigation into the FBI’s probe into Trump and Russia. He also spoke behind closed doors to the House Intelligence Committee.
Hur’s special counsel report concluded that Biden willfully retained classified information, including top-secret documents, and was aware of his possession of these documents as early as 2017. He even shared some of this information with the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir. However, the special counsel chose not to charge the president, citing a lack of evidence of willful intent to illegally hold classified information and emphasizing Biden’s cooperation with the investigation.
Nevertheless, the report includes politically damaging remarks, with Hur stating that one reason Biden would not be prosecuted is because he would appear before a jury as an elderly man with a poor memory. Biden’s lawyers objected to this characterization, labeling it “investigative excess” and accusing Hur of disregarding Justice Department rules and norms.
The report is expected to be a focal point in the 2024 campaign, particularly as Donald Trump, Biden’s likely opponent, faces criminal charges for his handling of classified material. Hur made it clear that the two cases are distinct.
As this story continues to develop, it remains to be seen how House Republicans’ pursuit of Robert Hur’s testimony will unfold and what impact it will have on the political landscape.
