A report expected to be released soon by a US special prosecutor criticizes the handling of classified documents by President Joe Biden and his associates, but does not recommend criminal charges, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The long-awaited report by special counsel Robert Hurr — who is a Republican — is expected to be released within days, according to the newspaper.

Mr. Hurr was named a special prosecutor by Attorney General Merrick Garland last year after “top secret” documents dating back to Mr. Biden’s time as vice president were found in 2022 at the Democratic president’s Delaware residence and an office that used previously.

His predecessor in the presidency, Donald Trump, a heavy favorite in the current intra-party Republican process to nominate the candidate for the White House — a Trump/Biden rematch in the US presidential election on November 5 is being discounted — is facing criminal charges for way he handled classified documents.

Mr Trump, 77, has pleaded not guilty.

He was prosecuted on the recommendation of another special counsel, Jack Smith; he is accused of endangering US national security by keeping in his possession top secret documents, including those related to the nuclear arsenal, after he left the White House.

The Republican had the documents — among files from the Pentagon and the CIA — at his Mar-a-Lago residence. According to the indictment, some were seen scattered on the floor.

As far as the Democratic president is concerned, the White House spoke of a “mistake”, referring to documents that had been taken by “carelessness”.

According to the Post, there are big differences between the two cases. According to the newspaper’s information, the Biden case involves less than 20 classified documents, while the Trump case involves about 300.