President Joe Biden found himself embroiled in controversy after reports emerged that he lashed out at Special Counsel Robert Hur for allegedly probing into sensitive areas, particularly the death of his late son, Beau Biden. The president’s anger seemed misplaced, however, as it was revealed that he had broached the subject during an interview with Hur, as per Mediaite .
In response to the news, Biden stated, “How in the hell dare he raise that,” in statements from the White House, as per Fox News . “Frankly, when I was asked the question I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their damn business. “I don’t need anyone to remind me when he passed away,” added Biden. In a 388-page report published earlier on Thursday , special counsel Robert Hur found that Biden “willfully” kept classified materials, but he declined to press charges.
Although reports from NBC News said, “Hur never asked that question, according to two people familiar with Hur’s five-hour interview with the president over two days last October. It was the president, not Hur or his team, who first introduced Beau Biden’s death, they said.” A gloomy evaluation of the 81-year-old’s memory and recall skills was also provided in the study.
Hur stated, “In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse. He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended … and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began. … He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.”
House Republicans are hellbent on making Joe Biden’s age an issue by having Special Robert Hur testify in front of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committee. https://t.co/i5LCgEEBzB
— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) February 16, 2024
Biden claimed to have been completely open and honest with Hur’s probe. He mentioned that he spent two days and five hours in an interview with Hur’s team discussing events that took place around 40 years ago. “Their task was to decide whether to move forward in this case,” Biden continued, adding “That’s his job, and they decided not to move forward.” Following the publication of the study, the president’s administration strongly supported the president’s memory.
“It is one thing to observe President Biden’s memory as being ‘significantly limited’ on certain subjects. It is quite another to use the more sweeping and highly prejudicial language employed later in the report,” White House special counsel Richard Sauber and personal attorney Bob Bauer wrote to Hur in a letter sent Monday. “This language is not supported by the facts, nor is it appropriately used by a federal prosecutor in this context,” they continued. “We request that you revisit your descriptions of President Biden’s memory and revise them so that they are stated in a manner that is within the bounds of your expertise and remit.”
At the end of a possible second term, Biden would be 86 years old. The president has acknowledged that voters should take his age into account, but he and his team have emphasized that the best way to evaluate him is based on his track record of accomplishments while in office. During his remarks, he briefly lost his temper when reporters asked him about voters’ persistent concerns over his age.