Special counsel Robert Hur defended his description of President Joe Biden’s memory during a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday, March 12. Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified information and declined to criminally charge him, had to fend off accusations of political bias during the hearing.
“My assessment and the report about the relevance of the president’s memory was necessary, and accurate and fair,” Hur told the committee. “I did not sanitize my explanation, nor did I disparage the president unfairly.”
In a list of reasons as to why he decided not to charge Biden for having classified documents in his home and personal office, one sentence has received more attention than the rest of the 388-page report.
“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the report stated.
Democrats called that description gratuitous.
“You’re doing everything you can do to get President Trump reelected so that you can get appointed as a federal judge or perhaps to another position in the Department of Justice,” Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said to Hur.
“Congressman, I have no such aspirations,” Hur responded. “I can assure you and I can tell you that partisan politics had no place whatsoever in my work.”
“You made a choice,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said to Hur. “That was a political choice. It was the wrong choice.”
“What you are suggesting is that I shape, sanitize, omit portions of my reasoning and explanation to the attorney general for political reasons,” Hur answered.
The Hur report noted that Biden shared classified information with, Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter for his books “Promise me, Dad” and “Promises to Keep.”
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speculated that could be a reason to keep the classified documents.
“Mr. Hur, how much did President Biden get paid for his book?” Jordan asked.
“Off the top of my head, I’m not sure if that information appears in the report,” Hur said.
“It sure does,” Jordan responded. “There’s a dollar amount in there. You remember?”
“I don’t. It may be $8 million,” Hur answered.
“$8 million,” Jordan said. “Joe Biden had 8 million reasons to break the rules. Took classified information and shared it with the guy who was writing the book. He knew the rules but he broke them for $8 million in a book advance.”
Republicans also claimed Biden received more lenient treatment than Donald Trump, who also had classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence. Trump is facing 37 charges, including violations of the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
“Biden and Trump should have been treated equally,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said. “They weren’t. And that is the double standard that I think a lot of Americans are concerned about.”
Democrats highlighted differences between the Biden and Trump cases.
“The president allowed your team to seize and review all of the notebooks you found, is that correct?” Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., asked.
“That is correct,” Hur answered.
“Now that’s in stark contrast to ex-President Trump’s case,” Lofgren said. “He obstructed and diverted all the investigations.”
Democrats also played a video montage of Trump making the same types of gaffes Biden is known for and repeatedly saying “I don’t remember” in depositions.
They also contend that Trump was more careless with the classified documents found at his home compared to Biden.
“We know that he stored that information around Mar-a-Lago in the craziest places — on the ballroom stage, spilled across the floor of an unlocked closet, next to the toilet,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said.
However, when Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said the report exonerated the president, Hur interrupted to say it did not.
