The reelection campaign of President Joe Biden is making preparations for an anticipated surge of adverse consequences resulting from the forthcoming publication of photographs that reveal negligent handling of secret documents, coinciding with the conclusion of special counsel Robert Hur’s year-long investigation.
According to Axios, Biden’s aides do not expect any criminal charges to be filed as a result of the probe. Nevertheless, they are concerned about the possibility of embarrassing images that could be included in Hur’s upcoming report, which is anticipated to be published as soon as this week.
The photographs may provide insight into the manner in which Biden hid secret materials, which were discovered in late 2022, both in the garage of Biden’s Delaware mansion and in a private office he frequented. The secret records originate from the period when Biden served as vice president during the Obama administration.
Prior to their highly anticipated rematch in the 2024 election, President Biden’s trusted advisors have voiced apprehension to Axios on the possibility of former President Trump’s campaign exploiting the photographs.
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Trump is already confronting more than 40 allegations filed by special counsel Jack Smith, relating to the inappropriate handling of secret information at his private property in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, following his departure from the White House. The charges encompass obstruction of justice and intentional possession of classified national security information.
Hur, a nominee appointed by President Trump in 2017, possesses prior experience as a U.S. attorney and as a clerk for Chief Justice William Rehnquist. It is mandatory for Hur to produce a report regarding the investigation. According to information provided by Biden’s aides to Axios, it is expected that the report would be released as early as this week. However, the exact date of release is still undetermined, as reported by Fox News.
During a CBS “60 Minutes” interview last autumn, Attorney General Merrick Garland made a commitment to release a special counsel’s report concerning Hunter Biden, as much as legally allowed. He also pledged to clarify the rationale behind decisions to pursue or dismiss charges, as well as the strategic choices made throughout the process.
“Usually, the special counsels have testified at the end of their reports, and I expect that that will be the case here,” Garland said.
Anthony Coley, a previous high-ranking consultant to Garland, criticized the Biden team for deliberately delaying the process of gathering evidence in the case.
“Against the backdrop of former President Trump’s indictment on charges of willful and deliberate retention of classified documents, the Biden team’s drip, drip, drip of information made the discoveries seem even worse,” he wrote in an op-ed.
In the recent case involving classified documents, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, ruled in favor of his legal team. The ruling pertained to a request made by Smith to compel Trump to disclose information about his defense strategy, specifically regarding whether he intends to hold his attorneys responsible as part of his defense. Many experts argued that such disclosure would infringe upon attorney-client privilege.
Katie Phang, an MSNBC legal commentator, stated that by rejecting the request, Cannon delivered a substantial setback to Smith.
“Judge Cannon enters an ORDER denying, without prejudice, Special Counsel’s Motion to Compel Disclosure Regarding Advice-of-Counsel Defense,” the expert said. “Cannon says that it’s too early in the litigation to consider forcing Donald Trump to have to disclose this information.”
Cannon’s order read, “Assuming the facts and circumstances, in this case, warrant an order compelling disclosure of an advice-of-counsel trial defense, the Court determines that such a request is not amenable to proper consideration at this juncture, before at least partial resolution of pre-trial motions, transmission to Defendants of the Special Counsel’s exhibit and witness lists, and other disclosures as may become necessary.”
According to Joyce Vance, the former US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Cannon is expected to postpone the case until after the election and potentially prevent it from ever occurring.
“In the Mar-a-Lago case, Judge Cannon has just refused to enforce a routine deadline, and it’s entirely clear she has no intention of letting this case go to trial before the election or possibly ever,” she wrote.
