Takeaways from the special counsel’s report on Biden’s handling of classified documents

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special Counsel Robert Hur on Thursday released his long-awaited report on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, and it’s not great news for the president on multiple fronts. The report concludes that no criminal charges against Biden are warranted, a key difference from Donald Trump’s situation. But it also says there was evidence that Biden “willfully” retained and disclosed highly classified materials when he was a private citizen. And it highlights his confusion and “significantly limited” recall of events related to the documents.

Some takeaways from the 345-page report:

BAD NEWS FOR BIDEN’S ANTI-CHAOS ARGUMENT

Biden can breathe easier knowing he won’t face criminal charges for his handling of the documents. But the Hur report nonetheless does damage to Biden’s case that he brings normalcy to the presidency after the chaos of Trump’s tenure.

Images of federal agents finding a classified Biden memo on Afghanistan from his time as vice president stashed in his Delaware garage work against the Democratic president’s argument that he’s a more competent chief executive and a more careful steward of the nation’s secrets than Trump.

Trump is under criminal indictment for knowingly hanging on to to classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and resisting turning them over, perhaps the most damning — and stickiest — of the four criminal cases against him. Biden, for his part, faces no charges.

Weeks after the FBI searched Trump’s private residence and turned up classified documents, Biden slammed his predecessor as “totally irresponsible.”

As Biden ramps up his 2024 reelection campaign — and his case against Trump — he’s not likely to try that argument again.

More on the special