Joe Biden: Political grenade thrusts age into spotlight - BBC News

The findings into Joe Biden's handling of classified files reignite debate over his age and competency.

3 days agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS election 2024Image source, ReutersBy Anthony ZurcherNorth America correspondentIt was a political grenade in the form of a 345-page report.

The pyrotechnics were delivered on Thursday afternoon in the findings of special counsel Robert Hur's investigation into Joe Biden's handling of classified documents after he left the vice-presidency in 2017.

The top-line conclusion was that the president would not face criminal charges for his actions, despite evidence that he had "wilfully retained and disclosed classified materials... when he was a private citizen".

The bottom line was much more damaging. Among the reasons Mr Hur listed for why he had decided not to prosecute the 81-year-old president was because he would likely be a sympathetic figure to a jury who would view him as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory".

Issues about Joe Biden's age and competency to serve another four years in office have been simmering for practically as long as Mr Biden has been in the White House, so this latest finding will provide fuel for Republican attacks and stoking concerns among some Democrats that the president is not up to the task.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68248059?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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