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Joe Biden in helicopter (on February 7th in New York City)
Photo: Andrew Harnik / AP
The case caused quite a stir - and in conservative circles, malice and carefully calculated indignation. The investigation against US President Joe Biden in the affair surrounding the discovery of secret government documents in his private rooms has now apparently been completed.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland informed Congress in a letter that the special investigator in charge, Robert Hur, had submitted his final report, the US broadcaster CNN reported on Wednesday evening (local time).
The White House is now examining this with regard to the president's right to keep certain information secret from Congress or the judiciary. Once this is completed, the report will be submitted to Congress, the letter continued. This is to be expected in the coming days.
At the end of 2022, classified information from Biden's time as vice president was discovered in various locations, including in private offices in the capital Washington and in Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware. The findings were politically extremely sensitive for the Democrat, as his Republican predecessor Donald Trump had caused a scandal with a similar case.
Trump must answer in court for his handling of documents. Both Biden and Trump want to run again in the US presidential election in November.
Parallels and differences between the cases
There are certain parallels between the Trump and Biden document scandals - but there are also big differences. According to the Washington Post, Biden has fewer than 20 documents, while Trump has around 300.
In addition, the incumbent president cooperated with the authorities from the start. Trump, on the other hand, refused to return the documents to Mar-a-Lago - and, according to the indictment, is said to have gone to great lengths to hide the documents from the judiciary.
"As I have made clear to every special counsel who has served since I took office, I am committed to releasing as much of the special counsel's report as possible," Attorney General Garland reportedly wrote.
According to US media, Biden does not have to fear any legal repercussions. The Washington Post and other US media reported on Tuesday that the report was likely to criticize the way Biden and his employees handled secret documents from Biden's time as vice president under President Barack Obama (2009 to 2017). However, this should not have any criminal consequences.
Things could look different with Trump. The indictment in the documents affair is one of four indictments against the ex-president. The Republican has described the investigations against him as politically motivated.
jok/dpa