Democrats dismiss Hur testimony after declaring Biden age concerns ‘debunked
Democrats Downplay Concerns About Biden’s Mental Acuity Ahead of Hur’s Testimony
Democrats are dismissing the notion that special counsel Robert Hur’s upcoming testimony before Congress will revive worries about President Joe Biden’s mental sharpness. Instead, they are asserting that Biden’s recent State of the Union speech has put to rest any questions about his age and memory. Hur’s report on Biden’s handling of classified documents concluded that the president should not face indictment, in part because a jury would perceive him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
“After the president’s strong State of the Union performance, Republicans complained that he was too strident and too angry, but not that he was too old. I think he put that to rest, and Hur won’t resurrect that,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD), a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Democrats have strongly criticized both the report and Hur’s involvement, deeming the remarks “gratuitous” in the aftermath. Now, ahead of the hearing, Democrats are asserting that Biden’s passionate address to Congress has finally dispelled concerns about his age.
“Nobody’s going to talk about cognitively impaired now,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) told Biden following the speech.
However, Hur may bring up the topic during his testimony. The prosecutor will face a public grilling before the House Judiciary Committee, with Reps. James Comer (R-KY) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), along with other committee members, questioning him. The focus of the hearing will be Hur’s report, but both parties are likely to draw comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s case involving classified documents, led by special counsel Jack Smith. Republicans may question why Trump should face charges while Biden was not, while Democrats will likely aim to further dispel concerns about Biden’s memory.
“Last Wednesday, I was scared for the Hur testimony. Now I’m excited,” a House Democrat’s office told the Washington Examiner. “Biden’s performance at the State of the Union showed that report isn’t worth the paper it was written on. If Jim Jordan and James Comer want to embarrass themselves on national TV yet again, be my guest.”
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon emphasized the need for his party to focus on the bigger picture, regardless of what Hur says.
“The proper response from the president is that he’s very happy that the special prosecutor cleared him of any wrongdoing,” Bannon said. “He should then reference the federal charges against Trump for his secret document stockpile.”
“Finally,” Bannon added, “the president or press secretary can say that he may forget small details at times, but he never forgets his commitment to protect democracy at home and abroad.”
In February, Hur released a 388-page report detailing the findings of a yearlong investigation into classified documents found at Biden’s office and home. The special counsel concluded that Biden may have knowingly kept classified documents in unauthorized locations and disclosed classified information to the ghostwriter of his memoir. The report caused a political uproar in Washington, with its revelations suggesting the president’s memory was lacking. Biden responded by holding a press conference during which he mistakenly mixed up the presidents of Egypt and Mexico, leading Republicans to argue that his mental acuity was insufficient for a second term.
Biden’s administration staunchly defended him, with White House counsel spokesman Ian Sams making a rare appearance in the briefing room.
“Put simply, this case is closed because the facts and the evidence don’t support the theories here,” he said. “The gratuitous comments [about Biden’s memory] that respected experts say is out of line are inappropriate.”
White House officials have not committed to releasing the transcripts of Biden’s interviews with Hur, a topic that is likely to arise during the testimony. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, stated that he believes Hur’s testimony can be summarized in the first sentence of his report, where the special counsel stated that there were no reasonable grounds to pursue criminal charges against Biden.
“So, he’s essentially exonerated in the very first sentence,” Raskin said.
He added that he is “curious” about what will transpire during Hur’s testimony and can only assume that Republicans’ reason for calling him to testify is “an exercise in legislative masochism by the majority.”
“Obviously, there were some drive-by comments about President Biden’s age and his memory, and maybe they would pounce on that,” the Maryland Democrat said. “Again, it’s not relevant to his conduct, and I think that a lot of those acerbic observations are debunked by what the whole country got to see for several hours during the State of the Union address.”
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What findings did Hur’s report on classified documents in Biden’s office and home raise regarding Biden’s mental acuity?
Parking concerns about Biden’s mental acuity.
Despite the controversy surrounding Hur’s report, Democrats are confident that Biden’s recent State of the Union speech has reassured the public about his mental sharpness. They argue that Biden’s passionate address to Congress has dispelled any doubts about his age and memory. Representative Glenn Ivey, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, stated that Republicans did not criticize Biden’s age after his strong performance, indicating that the issue has been put to rest.
However, there is speculation that Hur may bring up the topic during his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. Both Republicans and Democrats are expected to question Hur and draw comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s case involving classified documents. Republicans may question why Biden was not charged while Trump faced charges, while Democrats aim to further dispel concerns about Biden’s memory.
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon advises his party to focus on the bigger picture, regardless of what Hur says. He suggests that Biden should respond by expressing his satisfaction with being cleared of any wrongdoing and highlight the federal charges against Trump for his secret document stockpile. Bannon also recommends emphasizing Biden’s commitment to protecting democracy.
In February, Hur released a comprehensive report detailing the findings of a yearlong investigation into classified documents found in Biden’s office and home. The report raised concerns about Biden potentially mishandling classified information and disclosing it to the ghostwriter of his memoir. Despite the political uproar it caused, Democrats remain adamant that Biden’s recent State of the Union speech has addressed any concerns about his mental acuity.
In conclusion, Democrats are downplaying concerns about Biden’s mental acuity ahead of Hur’s testimony. They argue that Biden’s strong State of the Union performance has put to rest any questions about his age and memory. While Hur’s involvement has been criticized by Democrats, it remains to be seen whether the topic of Biden’s mental sharpness will be brought up during the testimony. Democrats emphasize the need to focus on the bigger picture and highlight Biden’s commitment to protecting democracy.
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