By Ken Dilanian, Monica Alba, Carol E. Lee and Megan Lebowitz —
NBC News
In the coming days, special counsel Robert Hur's long-awaited report will be made public, concluding a year-long investigation into how classified documents reached President Joe Biden's home and office, according to a senior security forces official familiar with the matter. with the matter.
The imminent release of the report confirms that, as expected, no criminal charges will be brought against Biden.
It is unclear to what extent the report will criticize the president or his aides over their handling of classified material.
The Washington Post announced that the Department of Justice will make the report public shortly.
Biden's advisers have privately expressed concern that the special counsel could clear him of any wrongdoing but publicly declare that
he was careless
in handling classified material, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.
That concern stems from a similar public statement by then-FBI Director James Comey in the 2016 presidential campaign about then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information.
The White House declined to comment Tuesday, as did a spokesman for Biden's personal attorney, Bob Bauer.
There are three levels to designate classified documents: confidential, secret and top secret.jat306 / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Attorney General Merrick Garland placed Hur at the head of the investigation last year.
Hur is required to write a report on his findings at the end of his investigation.
NBC News has reported that Hur interviewed Biden and his son Hunter as part of the investigation.
The investigation began after classified documents, which appeared to be from the time of the Barack Obama Administration (in which Biden was vice president), were found at the Penn Biden Center and at Biden's home in Delaware.
Some of the documents found in his home appeared to be related
to his time as a senator
, Bauer stated in January 2023. The now president used the Penn Biden Center as his personal office after being Obama's vice president.
The White House said that once the records were identified with classified markings, they were turned over to authorities.
In addition, he also made it clear that Biden has cooperated with the investigation.
The imminent report will be released as former President Donald Trump awaits trial in Florida after being indicted on criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago mansion.
More than 100 classified documents were found at the Florida club, including documents with "Top Secret" markings, according to the indictment filed in June.
Federal authorities later said in a superseding indictment that Trump focused on not allowing government officials to obtain the boxes containing the documents and viewed it as a scheme to obstruct the investigation.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.