US attorney general says special counsel has completed probe in Biden documents case

(Reuters) -Special Counsel Robert Hur has completed his investigation into whether U.S. President Joe Biden mishandled classified documents during his time as vice president, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a letter to Congress on Wednesday.

Garland said in the letter to House and Senate judiciary committee leaders that Hur had submitted his final report to the White House and Biden's personal lawyer to allow for comments and to review for executive privilege.

After the White House review, Garland said, the special counsel's report would be sent to Congress. Garland said he would make as much of the report public "as possible, consistent with legal requirements and Department policy."

The White House anticipates the privilege review of the report will be completed by the end of the week, White House spokesperson Ian Sams said.

The probe focused on documents related to Biden's service as vice president to Democratic President Barack Obama from 2009-2017 and from his prior tenure in the U.S. Senate. They were found at Biden's home and former office.

Biden's lead rival in the November election, Republican former President Donald Trump, faces a 40-count federal indictment for retaining highly sensitive national security documents at his Florida resort after leaving office in 2021 and obstructing U.S. government efforts to retrieve them.

(Reporting by Eric Beech and Dan Whitcomb; additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)