The Framing of Federal Investigations: Exploring How Frames Altered the Impact of the Hur Report on Citizens’ Impressions

Abstract The frames used to describe political events can powerfully influence the public’s understanding, interpretation, and evaluation of events. In this research note, we examine how the framing of a federal investigation of a sitting president can alter views of the investigation as well as evaluations of the president. In February 2024, Special Counsel Robert Hur released his year-long investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. We conduct a survey experiment to compare the impact of alternative framing of the Hur report. We find that alternative frames (i.e., the original Hur frame v. an alternative frame) significantly and consistently influence people’s views of the report’s findings. We also show that differing views of the report’s findings ultimately influence changes in evaluations of Joe Biden. Our results demonstrate how the framing of investigative findings by government officials can dramatically alter citizens’ assessments, producing consequential political evaluations.