Former Special Counsel Robert Hur faced bipartisan flak He spoke at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. conclusion About President Joe Biden keeping classified materials after serving as Vice President Barack Obama. Republicans wanted to know how Mr. Hsu could conclude that the criminal charges against Biden were unwarranted when Special Counsel Jack Smith was prosecuting the case in court. prosecute Former President Donald Trump also allegedly did the same thing.Democrats complained about Mr. Hur. explanation Mr. Biden described them as „sympathetic and well-intentioned elderly people with poor memory'' and „declining abilities due to age,'' but these are legally unrelated, and he will not be appointed as a judicial officer under the second Trump administration. It is possible that this was motivated by expectations.
258 pages interview record Documents released ahead of the hearing shed some light on the latter issue. The records, based on hours of recorded interviews with Biden conducted by Xu and his staff on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, largely corroborated Biden's account in Xu's book. There is. February 5th reportAlthough it was legally relaxed, cause political damage In the context of the 2024 presidential election, Concerns Voters expressed the 81-year-old president's cognitive health.
During the interview, new york times Reporter Charlie Savage write, „Biden seemed alert most of the time'' — a perfect example of condemnation with a hint of praise. One survey found that nearly three-quarters of voters think Biden is „too old to be an effective president.“ times/Siena University poll An investigation carried out in late February is unlikely to reassure him with an assessment that he is dangerous. The usual 'Clever-headed' And Savage also highlights parts of the interview that don't fit that description.
Part of Mr. Biden's recall failure is the kind of convenient amnesia common in interviews with criminal suspects and civil defendants. „In an effort to determine whether Mr. Biden intentionally kept certain classified documents, Mr. „They repeatedly requested details such as who did the packing and where certain files went,“ Savage says. „Biden, who has denied any wrongdoing, has repeatedly disputed that he doesn't remember or have any knowledge of how his staff handled such matters, saying that he assisted in those assignments because „many of these observed that there was a continuum of people. ”
In particular, Biden is ignorant about how classified documents related to the Afghanistan war ended up in „a battered cardboard box in his garage in Delaware, along with a hodgepodge of unrelated materials.“ He professed. „The up box went into the garage,“ he said, guessing that someone packing must have thrown something inside, among the stacks of files sent to his home. He added that he had „no idea“ what was inside. You can't even bother to go through them. ”
Biden's other memory lapses fall into a different category. In some exchanges, he seemed genuinely confused about basic facts, such as when he served as vice president, when his son Beau died, and when Trump was elected president.
„Do you have any idea where this material was before it was moved to the garage?“ Hal asked. Biden responded, „If it was 2013, when would I have left office as vice president?“ „2017,“ White House Counsel Rachel Cotton said to his aid. Based on that clue, Biden said, „I mean, I was the vice president. So it must be coming from a vice presidential thing. That's all I can think of.“
When asked in 2017 how a particular folder ended up in his garage, Biden „inadvertently brought up the year the document was created“ and when he was inaugurated as vice president. Again, he seemed unsure about this. „My problem was that I had no idea where exactly the documents and boxes came from or who packed them,“ he says. „They just got delivered to me. So, is this — at this stage in 2009, I'm still vice president?“
Savage claims that Hsu „selectively portrayed Biden's recollection of the ambassador's position.“ At one point, Biden mistakenly recalled that Carl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, disagreed with him on the merits of adding more troops. But at another point, Savage notes, Biden correctly recalled that he and Eikenberry were on the same side in that internal discussion.
Hoar said in the report that Biden „does not remember when his son Beau died, even within a few years.“ In remarks to the press immediately after the report was released, Biden said: expressed anger On that line. „How on earth could he say something like that?'' he said. „Frankly, when I was asked that question, I thought it was none of their business.“ But records show it was Biden who broached the issue.
Mr. Xu asked Biden where he kept documents related to various projects, including „your book.“ Promise me, dad., his 2017 memoir about Beau's death. „What is this, 2017, 2018, that part?“ Biden asked. „Yes, sir,“ Ha confirmed. Then Biden launched into this halting, convoluted response, as if to conflate his Senate career with his time as vice president.
Remember, at this time of year, my son is either deployed or dying. And that was true. By the way, when I left the Senate, there were still many people who encouraged me to run. Except for the president during this period. I'm not, and I don't mean that in a mean way. He just thought she (Hillary Clinton) had a better chance of winning the presidency than me. So, I didn't run yet, even though I was at Penn, at this point I hadn't given up on the idea that I might run again. But if I were to run again, I would run for president. So what happened? What month did Beau die? On May 30th…
Cotton called out again, „It's 2015.“ Biden was still unsure about the year, saying, „Was it 2015 when he died?“ „It was May 2015,“ an „unidentified male speaker“ confirmed, prompting Biden to repeat, „It was 2015.“
This exchange was quickly followed by confusion about another important date. „What happened in between? And Trump will be elected in November 2017?“ An „unidentified male speaker“ corrected Biden, saying, „2016.“ If so, Biden wondered, „Why is 2017 here?“ „That's when you left office in January 2017,“ White House Counsel Ed Siskel explained.
Biden then returned to the topic of Beau's death. “And in 2017, Bo passed away, which is a personal thing, but that was the genesis of the book and the title.” Promise me, dad.„He then detailed how Bo's legacy inspired him to remain in politics and later seek the presidency. In other words, the transcript shows that Mr. Bo and his staff They refute Biden's subsequent claims that they forced him to delve into sensitive issues that were „none of their business.“
In addition to providing „context“ for the amnesia cited by Herr, Savage points out „a number of what I believe are minor errors not mentioned in Herr's report.“ . For example, Biden „needed to be reminded that the name of the federal agency that maintains official records, the National Archives, or that a fax machine is the name of the device that transmits images of documents over telephone lines.“ .
Biden said one staffer was „focused on getting what they thought (the University of Delaware) might want or would go to the federal government.“ His attorney, Robert Bauer, knew the answer: „Archives.“ Biden began by asking, „When you send this out, what do you call it?“ referring to equipment in his home office, to which Siskel responded, „Fax machine.“
Again, those „minor mistakes“ do not have This is included in Mr. Xu's report.As for blunders, he did As mentioned, many Democrats thought their participation was unfair. However, Mr. Hsu was obliged to explain the reasons for not indicting Mr. Biden and his decision. hinged Even though Biden had „reason to believe“ that the defense information „could be used to the detriment of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign country,“ beyond a reasonable doubt. As to whether a jury could be persuaded that it was held „intentionally.“ ” Mr. Xu concluded that Mr. Biden probably could not pass that test and predicted that jurors would be inclined to view Mr. Biden's possession of classified documents as a coincidence.
Mr. Biden „will appear before the jury as the same sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory that he was when we interviewed him,“ Mr. Hoar wrote. „Based on my direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone many jurors would want to be given a reasonable doubt about. It would be difficult to convince a jury to convict him. – a former president who was well into his 80s at the time – is a serious felony requiring a deliberate state of mind.”
Contrary to how Democrats have portrayed her report on Biden, Ha I got it. „I did not 'exonerate' him. Those words do not appear in the report,“ he said during Tuesday's hearing. Rather, Huh argued that there was sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Biden „intentionally“ violated the law, including his cooperation in locating and returning the documents after the lawyers discovered them in the first place. It was concluded that there is. He did not know or could not remember how the material came into his possession.
In Trump's case, by contrast, such excuses can only persuade him so much. Even if it was unintentional that he initially kept more than 300 classified documents after he left the White House, carelessness does not explain his actions. resistance to return them including his claims; rebellion of a federal subpoena.
„It is not our role to evaluate the criminal charges pending against Mr. Trump,“ Hoar wrote in his report, but added, „There are several differences between Mr. Trump's case and Mr. Biden's. There is a significant difference.“ Unlike the „evidence about Mr. Biden,“ „the allegations set forth in the indictment against Mr. Trump, if proven, would present significant aggravating facts. Most notably, This was despite being given multiple opportunities to return the documents and avoid prosecution,” Ho wrote. , Trump allegedly did the opposite. The indictment says he not only refused to return the documents for months, but also obstructed justice by cooperating with others to destroy evidence and then lying. ”