Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report stated President Biden The president described him as “a compassionate, well-meaning, older man with a poor memory” — and many political analysts said that’s exactly the impression the president left on Thursday’s debate viewers.
In February reportNoting that Biden “also has significant limitations in his memory,” Hur said he would not bring any criminal charges against the president following a months-long investigation into the improper retention of classified documents related to national security.
“Based on our direct conversations with him and our observations of him, he is a man about whom many jurors would want to identify reasonable doubt,” the report said. “It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — a former president in his 80s by then — of a serious crime that required a strong-willed mental state.”
During and after Biden’s debate against former President Barack Obama President Donald Trump This week, several political analysts suggested on social media that Hur, who has faced criticism from Democrats and liberal media figures over reported comments about Biden’s memory and judgment, was “to blame” and “should apologize.”
Johnson says House GOP will sue DOJ next week to obtain Biden-Hur audio tapes
Special counsel Robert Hur’s report described Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, older man with a failing memory,” which some analysts say reflects the impression he left on debate viewers. (Getty Images)
“You know who’s really being vindicated tonight? Special counsel Robert Hur,” said National Review senior political correspondent and Washington Post columnist Jim Geraghty. said amid Biden’s performance,
Echoing Geraghty’s point, Charles C.W. Cook, a British-born American journalist and senior writer for National Review Online, said, wrote in a post “Robert Hur deserves an apology,” he told X.
Former Trump-era White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany also commented on Biden’s performance by referencing Hur.
“Nobody knew Biden’s condition. Robert Hur must have been really shocked. Now the country is in shock,” McEnany, co-host of the Fox News show “Outnumbered,” said. said in a post To social media.
According to the report, during the interview with Hur, Biden “could not remember when he was vice president, forgot when his term ended on the first day of the interview (‘If it was 2013 – when did I leave the vice presidency?’), and forgot when his term began on the second day of the interview (‘In 2009, am I still vice president?’)”.
“For several years, he also could not remember when his son, Beau, died,” Hur’s report said. “And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan conflict, which was once so important to him. Among other things, he mistakenly said he had ‘real differences’ with Gen. Karl Eikenberry, when in fact Eikenberry was a colleague of his, whom Mr. Eiden mentioned in his thank you note to President Obama.”
President Biden and former President Trump during the presidential debate on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images)
Biden and his aides aggressively pushed back The report has raised concerns about his mental state. Although the full transcript of the interview has been released, Republican lawmakers are still demanding audiotapes of the discussions.
Earlier this week, ahead of the debate, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said House Republicans would file a lawsuit next week to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to hand over audiotapes of Hur’s interview with Biden.
“We’re going to file suit next week against the Justice Department to enforce that subpoena. We’ll go to District Court here in D.C., which is the proper venue, and we’ll fight vigorously to get it,” Johnson told reporters at his regular news conference.
Attorney General Merrick Garland Earlier, Biden had rejected House GOP investigators’ subpoena for the audio tapes, citing his claim of executive privilege.
Garland’s denial House Republicans Garland was held in contempt earlier this month, and referred to his own department for criminal charges. The DOJ ultimately declined to prosecute.
Attorney General Merrick Garland (left) previously declined House GOP investigators’ subpoena for the audio tapes, citing Biden’s claim of executive privilege. (Getty Images)
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Following Biden’s performance in the debate, several media personalities are now supporting the release of the audiotape of the president’s interview with Hur, including Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle.
“If you hope Biden’s performance on Thursday was just an aberration, you should ask the administration to release the tapes of his interview with Robert Hur so we can all hear how he speaks when he doesn’t have a cold,” McArdle said. wrote in a post on x.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
