Former special counsel Robert Hur confirmed that White House attorneys asked him to "revise" descriptions of President Biden's memory lapses before the release of his report defending the decision to not bring charges against Biden for retention of national security material. The White House Counsel and Biden's personal lawyer requested edits to the report, claiming that certain descriptions of Biden's memory needed to be revised. Despite objections from the White House, the report was released by Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Hur defended the inclusion of Biden's memory lapses as necessary to explain his decision.
The special counsel who highlighted Joe Biden's memory lapses has defended the report in Congress, emphasizing the importance of addressing potential cognitive decline in political leaders. This comes amid ongoing scrutiny and debate over the president's mental acuity, with the counsel's testimony serving as a focal point for discussions on the issue.
Interview transcripts of Joe Biden's discussions with a special counsel contradict some of the president's claims about his handling of classified information, revealing moments of fuzziness about dates and a lack of familiarity with the paper trail for sensitive documents. The transcripts also raise questions about the special counsel's depiction of Biden's memory limitations and his failure to ask about the timing of Biden's son's death. Biden maintained that he did not intentionally retain classified documents and would have returned them to the government if he had known they were in his possession.
Special counsel Robert Hur's report on President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents described him as an "elderly man with a poor memory," but the transcript of Biden's interview paints a more nuanced picture. Despite memory lapses, Biden also recalled detailed events from his time as vice president. The transcript also revealed moments of confusion and misalignment of specific events to the right years. Biden's lawyers criticized the report, while Biden's allies believe a full reading of the transcript will support their contention that Hur's characterization was not based in reality. Hur is set to testify before Republican-led committees on Capitol Hill, defending his investigation and the characterization of Biden's age.
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to President Joe Biden as "Obama" during campaign speeches, attributing it to sarcasm. Trump has made similar errors at rallies and in media interviews, leading to criticism from the Biden campaign. Both Trump and Biden, 77 and 81 respectively, have faced scrutiny over their verbal gaffes and memory lapses, with Republicans using Biden's mishaps to question his fitness for a second term.
President Biden appeared on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" and joked about his age, poking fun at former President Donald J. Trump's memory lapses. Biden defended himself against claims of being too old to run for another term by highlighting Trump's struggles with memory and age. He emphasized that the election is about the candidates' ideas rather than their age, while also addressing concerns about his own memory.
President Biden spent five hours and 10 minutes being interviewed by special counsel Robert K. Hur regarding his handling of classified documents, with Hur repeatedly deriding Biden's memory. The interviews, which took place over two days, were described as routine and factual by Biden's team, who had prepared him extensively. The report issued by Hur declined to prosecute Biden but cast doubt on his memory, causing a political uproar. Despite the intense interviews, Biden remained focused on urgent international matters, including the situation in the Middle East.
President Biden had difficulty recalling his recent state visit to Ireland during a Q&A session with children at the White House. He also forgot the death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and called out her name at an event last September. Biden also seemed to forget about Hunter Biden's love child during the Q&A session. The president also mentioned rooting for the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Stanley Cup, even though the team did not make the playoffs.
