During the extensive interviews, President Joe Biden consistently maintained that he had no intention of retaining classified information after his tenure as vice president. However, it became evident that he was occasionally uncertain about specific dates and admitted to being unfamiliar with the paper trail for certain sensitive documents he handled. While Biden may have stumbled over some details during the interview, the complete transcript could raise doubts about Hur’s portrayal of the 81-year-old president as having “significant limitations” in his memory.
Interestingly, the transcript also reveals that the Republican lawyer never inquired about the timing of Biden’s son’s death, contradicting the president’s public objections to that particular line of questioning.
Both the hearing and the transcript aimed to address lingering concerns regarding Hur’s report on the discovery of classified records at Biden’s residence and former private office in Washington. However, it is uncertain whether they will significantly alter preconceived notions about the president or the Trump appointee who investigated him, especially in the midst of a fiercely contested election year.
On Capitol Hill, Hur is likely to become a target of criticism from both Republicans, who are displeased with his decision not to charge the president, and Democrats, who are unhappy with his unfavorable commentary about Biden. Republicans will likely delve deeper into Hur’s assessment of the president’s age and memory, using it as a major attack strategy in their bid to unseat Biden in November. Meanwhile, Democrats will attempt to portray Hur, a U.S. attorney appointed by Donald Trump, as a politically biased individual seeking to aid his party’s victory in the presidential election.
Hur’s report presented evidence suggesting that Biden knowingly retained highly classified information and shared it with a ghostwriter, based on audio recordings of their conversations where Biden mentioned coming across classified documents at his home.
During the interviews, Biden claimed no recollection of the exchange or discovering any documents. He stated that if he had indeed come across such materials, he would not have retained the
Related
- Special Counsel Report on Biden Classified Documents
- Read the full special counsel Transcript of Biden Special Counsel Testimony on classified documents