Former Special Counsel Robert Hur confirmed during a congressional testimony that President Joe Biden “willfully” committed the crime of holding classified documents at his residence after leaving office, and stressed that he did not exonerate him. In addition, transcripts acquired today by ABC reveal that Biden lied while publicly responding to Hur’s report, downplaying his own forgetfulness regarding his son’s death.
“My team and I conducted a thorough independent investigation,” Hur began. “We identified evidence that the president willfully retained classified materials after the end of his vice presidency when he was a private citizen.”
"We identified evidence that the President [Biden] willfully retained classified materials after the end of his vice presidency, when he was a private citizen." – former Special Counsel Robert Hur pic.twitter.com/CuzrARtBqR
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) March 12, 2024
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When Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) claimed Robert Hur’s report was a “complete exoneration” of President Biden, Hur swiftly corrected her.
“I need to go back and make sure that I take note of a word you used: “exoneration.” That is not a word I used in the report, and that is not part of my task as a prosecutor,” Hur attempted to say as she repeatedly interrupted him. “I did NOT exonerate him, that word does not appear in the report, Congresswoman.”
"I did NOT exonerate [Biden]." – former Special Counsel Robert Hur. pic.twitter.com/3C51cgrDTU
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) March 12, 2024
As Valuetainment previously reported, Counsel Hur found that Biden’s “memory appeared to have significant limitations,” making criminal prosecution against him nearly impossible and therefore declining to recommend any criminal charges. The special counsel’s writeup also included extensive examples of Biden’s failing memory dating as far back as 2017. Recorded interviews were described as “painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.”
While the report indicated that Biden should not face charges, it also issued a damning indictment of the president’s mental acuity.
Related: Poll: 86% of Americans Think Biden is Too Old for Office After Special Counsel Report
Biden sharply criticized the report’s characterization of his mental faculties, focusing in particular on the claim that he did not remember the year his son Beau died. “How in the hell dare he raise that? Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself: It wasn’t any of their damn business.”
But transcripts of Hur’s interview with Biden acquired today by ABC News indicate that he did indeed forget the year.
“Well, um… I, I, I, I, I don’t know. This is, what, 2017, 2018, that area? … Remember, in this timeframe, my son is – either been deployed or is dying,” Biden said, per the transcript. “And, and so what was happening though — what month did Beau die? Oh, God, May 30th–”
People in the room then had to remind Biden that his son died in 2015.
“Was it 2015 he had died?” Biden asked.
“It was May 2015,” another person said.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) used his opening segment to attack Chairman Jim Jordan, saying, “House Republicans may be desperate to convince America that White, conservative men are on the losing end of a two-tiered justice system. A theory that appeals to the MAGA crowd but has no basis in reality.” He then argued the Hur Report may have indicated a “willful” violation of the law but not a “knowing” one on Biden’s part. He highlighted how the report found no evidence that indicated Biden intended or had reason to believe the information could injure the United States, as well as its decision to decline criminal prosecution. Furthermore, Nadler argued Biden’s cooperation with the investigation showed he acted responsibly.
Rep. Jerry Nadler: "House Republicans may be desperate to convince America that White, conservative men are on the losing end of a two-tiered justice system. A theory that appeals to the MAGA crowd but has no basis in reality." pic.twitter.com/HH4jdBdzrJ
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 12, 2024
He contrasted these facts with the facts of the classified files case of President Donald Trump, echoing the team of Special Counsel Jack Smith in arguing that Trump had full knowledge of the nature of the documents and was far more careless with their storage.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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