Joe Biden’s team got caught red-handed. Judicial Watch’s latest document haul reveals a desperate scramble by the Biden White House and the former president’s lawyers to snag an early peek at Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on their client's classified document mishaps, as Just the News reports, and apparently, some folks thought they could charm their way into a sneak preview.
Through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, Judicial Watch pried loose 49 pages of Justice Department records showing the Biden administration’s relentless pressure on Hur. The conservative legal group’s victory exposes a saga of four requests for an advanced copy of the report, spanning October 2023 to January 2024. It’s like they thought persistence would wear down the special counsel.
The first salvo came via email on Oct. 18, 2023, just days after Hur grilled Biden about his handling of sensitive documents. Special counsel to the president, Richard Sauber, and Biden’s attorney Bob Bauer fired off a letter demanding an overview of the investigation and a chance to review the report before it hit the attorney general’s desk. Talk about trying to get ahead of the narrative.
Sauber and Bauer’s Oct. 18 letter didn’t stop at asking for a preview. They warned Hur that his report could stir up trouble in “every foreign capital” if it touched on national security procedures. Sounds like a not-so-subtle attempt to spook the special counsel into playing ball.
Hur, to his credit, didn’t budge right away. He told Biden’s team he’d “take their requests under consideration” but wasn’t ready to comply, according to the records. That’s the kind of spine you’d hope for when the White House comes knocking.
Undeterred, Biden’s crew kept up the pressure with additional requests on Oct. 31, 2023, Dec. 15, 2023, and Jan. 3, 2024. It’s almost comical how they thought spamming Hur’s inbox would get them the report early. Persistence is one thing; desperation is another.
By Jan. 9, 2024, Hur had had enough of the pestering and sent a nondisclosure agreement to Sauber and Biden’s legal team. That move screams, “Fine, but you’re signing on the dotted line first.” Smart play to keep things above board.
But Biden’s attorneys weren’t just after an early copy -- they had gripes about the report’s content. In a letter, they whined that Hur’s criticism of Biden’s memory was “prejudicial” and “inaccurate,” especially since the report concluded no charges were warranted. Cry me a river; if the shoe fits, wear it.
“We do not believe that the report’s treatment of President Biden’s memory is accurate or appropriate,” Biden’s lawyers wrote, clutching their pearls over the report’s language. They called it “highly prejudicial” to note Biden’s foggy recall of years-old events. Funny how they’re fine with selective memory until it’s called out.
Biden’s legal team went on to argue that discussing Biden’s memory was pointless since no trial would ever happen. “If the evidence does not establish guilt, then discussing the jury impact of President Biden’s hypothetical testimony at a trial that will never occur is entirely superfluous,” they huffed. Sounds like someone’s worried about public perception more than legal technicalities.
Judicial Watch's president, Tom Fitton, didn’t mince words about the findings. “These new records further show how desperate the Biden gang was to hide the full truth about Biden’s failing memory -- and criminality,” he said. Fitton’s got a point; this smells like a cover-up attempt from a mile away.
The records paint a picture of a White House scrambling to control the narrative around Biden’s document-handling fiasco. Four requests in four months? That’s not diligence; that’s panic.
Thanks to Judicial Watch’s FOIA lawsuit, the public gets a front-row seat to this political maneuvering. The 49 pages of documents lay bare the Biden team’s efforts to get ahead of Hur’s findings. Transparency: 1, White House spin: 0.
What’s particularly galling is the Biden team’s attempt to paint Hur’s memory jabs as unfair. If you’re going to handle classified documents like they’re grocery lists, don’t be shocked when your recall gets questioned. Actions have consequences, folks.
This saga proves one thing: no one’s above scrutiny, not even a former president. Judicial Watch’s dogged pursuit of the truth has exposed a White House more concerned with optics than accountability. Here’s hoping more documents come to light -- because this story’s far from over.
