Special Counsel Robert Hur is reportedly in “final talks” to testify before the House Impeachment Inquiry about his report on President Joe Biden’s taking of classified documents, which described the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
House Democrats do not want Hur to answer questions about Biden’s fitness for office.
Hur said Biden could not remember simple facts about his life, such as when he was vice president or when his son Beau died.
The White House and congressional Democrats have worked hard to diminish Hur’s findings. Biden’s White House counsel claimed the report’s characterization of the president’s memory was “gratuitous” and “politically motivated” — essentially inaccurate.
Despite the Democrats’ efforts to limit the political damage, a person familiar with Hur’s intentions told Axios that “Hur already is thinking about his testimony and has reached out to former Justice Department colleagues to potentially help him prepare.”
The hearing could focus on three subjects:
- The national security implications of Biden’s handling of classified documents
- Biden’s cognition and fitness for office
- The Justice Department’s scope of the deposition
The third point is of particular interest because Biden slammed Hur in a press conference last week for questioning him about Beau’s death, but an NBC News report on Thursday said Hur did not question Biden about the timing of his son Beau’s death.
Instead, the president brought up the subject himself during his interview, the report detailed.
The dispute increases pressure on Biden to permit his Justice Department to release the transcript and audio of his interview.
It appears any denial of the report’s findings would necessitate releasing the deposition’s audio and an unredacted transcript. White House spokesman Ian Sams said Friday that Biden would “look at” disclosing a redacted transcript.
National security experts who spoke anonymously with the Hill claimed it could take more than 14 days to go through the declassification process. Biden, however, has the power to immediately declassify the material.
Polling shows about one-third of Democrats doubt Biden’s mental fitness. A whopping 82 percent of Americans harbor concerns about his physical and mental health, another poll revealed.
Editor’s Note: The headline of the story has been revised to more accurately reflect the House Impeachment Inquiry’s activities.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former GOP War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.