Special Counsel Robert Hur’s recent interview with President Joe Biden signals that the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents is approaching its final stages after a ten-month probe involving dozens of witnesses, multiple sources .

The White House confirmed this week that Biden voluntarily participated in the interview over two days, an engagement that had been scheduled weeks in advance. While the White House has not disclosed details of the questioning—such as whether Biden invoked executive privilege—the interview marks the first significant development in months.

A source familiar with the matter indicated that investigators aim to conclude the inquiry by year’s end. It remains uncertain whether any charges will be filed, but sources close to the investigation suggest that such an outcome appears unlikely, as there has been no visible grand jury activity.

The Justice Department has stated that Hur will produce a final report summarizing his findings, a standard procedure for special counsel investigations. “The scope and depth of Hur’s work indicate that he is compiling a thorough report detailing the investigative process,” a source .

Hur was appointed in January to investigate classified documents discovered at Biden’s former office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C., and his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Compared to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s high-profile investigation into classified materials at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence—resulting in an indictment—Hur’s probe has been conducted more discreetly.

Despite this, the length and intensity of the investigation have frustrated Biden’s top aides, who had expected a quicker resolution given the relatively small number of classified documents involved, according to a source familiar with White House discussions. Some aides believe Attorney General Merrick Garland acted with excessive caution in appointing Hur—a former Trump-era Justice Department official—to ensure the probe remained free of political bias.

Investigators have interviewed a wide array of witnesses, including longtime Biden advisor Steve Ricchetti, former White House legal and communications staff, and even a former low-level aide involved in packing up Biden’s vice-presidential residence at the end of the Obama administration.

Hur’s team has also reached out to individuals who worked in the Senate during Biden’s tenure, as some of the classified documents date back to that period, according to Biden’s personal attorney. This aspect of the investigation has raised legal complexities, as Senate speech or debate protections limit the Justice Department’s ability to question Senate staff without coordination with Senate lawyers. It remains unclear how these legal discussions have been resolved.

Investigators are working to establish the chain of custody for the documents and determine the circumstances under which they ended up at Biden’s office and home. “The key question is whether the vice president intentionally took classified materials for personal use,” one source stated.

Some witnesses have described the investigation as meticulous, with officials asking detailed questions about office arrangements, storage methods, and document-handling procedures. A lawyer representing one witness noted that investigators recently requested additional documents despite having already conducted interviews earlier in the year. “They are certainly being thorough, but at times, it feels like they’re repeating steps,” the lawyer said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to specify whether Biden answered all questions or invoked executive privilege. She also did not confirm whether the administration requested a postponement of the interview in light of recent events in Israel. “The president remains focused on multiple critical issues at once, as his role demands,” she stated.