Trump calls for dropping charges in mishandling classified documents case

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday said charges accusing him of mishandling classified documents should be dropped now that a special counsel investigation declined to charge the President Joe Biden.

“If he’s not going to be charged, that’s up to them. But then I should not be charged,” Trump said at a National Rifle Association expo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

His remarks came a day after Justice Department Special counsel Robert Hur announced that he will not prosecute Biden for his handling of classified documents even though he “retained and disclosed classified materials” after his vice presidency.

"Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen," Hur wrote in a report, adding that it "does not establish Mr. Biden's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."

Trump also made remarks at Biden’s mental faculties after the special counsel’s report raised questions about the president’s memory.

“This is nothing more than selective persecution of Biden’s political opponent, me. I don’t think it’s Biden, because I don’t think he knows he’s alive,” Trump said.

Former President Trump was indicted last June on 37 counts regarding nearly 300 classified documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office, and his alleged efforts to cover up the information from federal investigators. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.