Special counsel describes Biden as ‘elderly man with a poor memory’ in eyebrow-raising report

Special Counsel Robert Hur issued the following statement Thursday: 388 page report An investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents found that the president frequently displayed limited memory and recall abilities.

Although the report concludes that no charges should be brought against the president, its language about the 81-year-old Biden could provide campaign fodder for Republicans, who have repeatedly questioned the president’s ability to hold office. expensive.

Some of the text appeared to be a gift to President Trump’s campaign.

In choosing not to prosecute, Hoare, who was appointed by former President Trump in 2017 as the U.S. attorney for Maryland, cited not only a lack of evidence but also how Biden would present himself to the jury. I also mentioned that.

“We also believe that at trial Mr. Biden will likely appear to the jury as the sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory that he was when we interviewed him.” wrote Hoa.

“Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone many jurors would want to have a reasonable doubt about.” It would be difficult to convince a jury that a person should be convicted of a serious felony that requires a state of mind.”

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The report mentions multiple times that Biden has trouble remembering when he spoke to ghostwriters for his memoir and when he spoke to investigators.

Hur cited a 2017 conversation between Biden and ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, saying, “Biden had a hard time remembering events and sometimes read what he had written in his notebook to communicate.” “It was painfully slow because I was putting so much effort into it.”

“In interviews with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was even worse,” Huh wrote.

Pro-Trump super PACs were quick to capitalize on the report.

“If you’re too old and infirm to stand trial, you’re too old to be president. Joe Biden is unfit to lead this country,” said Make, a pro-Trump super PAC. Alex Pfeiffer, communications director for America Great Again, said in a statement.

Hsu’s report is likely to infuriate Biden supporters. Democratic strategist Paul Begala spoke on CNN Thursday afternoon and said some of his comments were cheap shots. Mr. Biden’s personal lawyer and White House counsel sent a letter to Mr. Hsu on Monday following the conclusion of the investigation, calling the special counsel’s treatment of the president unfair and calling his repeated references to his memory “unwarranted.” he claimed.

“It is another to observe that President Biden’s memory is ‘severely limited’ on certain subjects; it is another to observe that President Biden’s memory is ‘severely limited’ on certain subjects; it is another to use the more comprehensive and highly biased language used later in the report.” is quite another,” White House Special Counsel Richard Sauber and personal attorney Bob Bauer wrote to Mr. Herr.

“This language is not supported by the facts, nor was it properly used by federal prosecutors in this context,” they added. “We ask you to reconsider President Biden’s account of his memory and revise it to reflect the scope of your expertise and authority.”

Mr. Biden’s personal lawyer, Mr. Bauer, issued a statement Thursday accusing Mr. Xu and his team of “investigative overreach” and complaining that the special counsel went too far in his lengthy report. Ta.

Bauer did not directly bring up the reference to Biden’s memory, but it was clear he was upset about the nature of some of the report.

“There is little in this work that clearly and concisely articulates an understanding of the simple conclusion that no wrongdoing occurred and that no charges are warranted,” Bauer said in a statement.

“Throughout this process, our guiding principle has been to protect the integrity and independence of this investigation,” Bauer added. “Based on the facts and the law, the special prosecutor in this case had no choice but to determine that criminal charges are unwarranted. He has other options, which must follow Department rules, policies, and practices. But he made the wrong choice.”

FILE – U.S. Attorney Robert Hur arrives in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Nov. 21, 2019. On Thursday, January 12, 2023, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Mr. Hur as special prosecutor to investigate the existence of classified documents found in Baltimore. President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and his office in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Herr as special counsel in charge of the investigation in January 2023, shortly after it was announced that classified documents had been found at Biden’s home in Delaware.

Mr. Hur was confirmed as Maryland’s U.S. Attorney in 2018, making him the state’s top federal law enforcement officer. He resigned from his position in early 2021.

The president’s age has clouded debate about the presidential election, especially with regard to the 77-year-old Trump, who is expected to be the Republican nominee. Polls have repeatedly shown that voters are concerned about Biden’s age. Other polls suggest that many Americans are dissatisfied with the choice between Biden and Trump.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who remains on the Republican ticket, has repeatedly cited the need for a new generation of leaders to breathe new life into her campaign. Trump defeated Haley in the early rounds of the Republican primary.

The report could also raise serious concerns among Democrats that Democrats could lose the White House if voters fear Biden’s ability to serve as president. team has repeatedly pushed back against this idea. Mr. Biden has not faced much opposition in his own primary race, but his leading candidate, Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, is trying to make his age an issue.

At one point in the report, the special counsel said Biden “doesn’t remember when he was vice president,” forgetting when his term ended and in other instances even remembering when his term began. He said he had forgotten. Mr. Hoar reported that Mr. Biden did not remember when his son Beau died and that his memory was “hazy” when discussing the debate over Afghanistan, which is important to his memoir.

“If the government had to prove that Biden knew he was in possession of classified Afghan documents after becoming vice president and knowingly chose to preserve those documents in violation of the law, then I “We expect his lawyers to emphasize at trial that his recollection has these limitations,” Hoare wrote.

In a statement, Mr. Biden emphasized his stamina, saying he had “fully cooperated and posed no obstacles or sought delays” in the investigation into Mr. Xu.

“In fact, I was so determined to give the special counsel what they needed that I was able to help them with their actions on October 8 and last year, even though Israel had just been attacked on October 7. “We had five hours of face-to-face interviews over two days on the 9th, and I was in the middle of dealing with an international crisis,” he said.

Mr. Biden would be 86 years old at the end of a potential second term. The president has said it’s fair for voters to consider his age, but stressed that he and his team should be judged on their accomplishments during his time in office.

Twice this week, Biden confused the names of European leaders he met at the Group of Seven summit early in his presidency.

An NBC News poll released this week found that when asked whether the 81-year-old Biden has the “physical and mental health necessary to serve a second term,” 54% of Democrats answered 76% of voters said they had serious or moderate concerns.

Trump, 77, is not immune to turmoil during his campaign.

President Trump’s remarks at a rally in October appeared to embarrass the leaders of Hungary and Turkey. In January, he repeatedly confused former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with Republican front-runner Nikki Haley, falsely claiming that Haley was in charge of security during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. made the claim.

This article was updated at 4:44 p.m.