Republicans in the House of Representatives have subpoenaed the Justice Department for recordings and transcripts of special counsel Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden, in which he described him as an “older man” with “diminished capabilities.”
The three GOP committee chairmen who led Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry into whether he was involved in his family’s shady dealings made good on their threats to subpoena the material if they did not receive it by February 19 .
Now that the deadline has passed, Republicans are taking more aggressive action on the eve of their impeachment testimony with star witness Hunter Biden.
They say they are “concerned” that Biden may have retained sensitive documents “related to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business dealings.”
In particular, they wanted to know whether Biden’s lawyers imposed “limitations or scope limitations” on statements that could have “directly” linked the president to “burdensome foreign payments.”
Hur is expected to testify at a public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12 and answer further questions.
Biden fumed over special counsel Robert Hur’s accusation that the Scranton resident did not know when his son Beau died
The box circled in the foreground contained documents about Afghanistan. The photo was taken in Biden’s garage in December 2022, along with other household items
They are mainly asking for documents related to then-Vice President Biden’s December 2015 phone call with the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
They say the call took place around the same time Biden was “calling for the firing of the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating Burisma,” the board of which Hunter was a member.
Hur’s report, which summarizes his investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, includes numerous examples of Biden’s “hazy” memory, including a point Biden appeared to forget when his son Beau died.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, along with Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting the transcript and possible recording of an interview with Biden that took place on October 8 and 9, 2023.
Their committees have been investigating whether Biden’s handling of classified documents was linked to his alleged involvement in his family’s business dealings.
They wrote that the DOJ denied their requests for documents to “protect the integrity of Special Counsel Hur’s ongoing investigation,” but that investigation has now concluded.
Republicans now want to know whether Biden “has retained sensitive documents relating to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business dealings.”
They added: “We are seeking to understand whether the White House or President Biden’s personal attorneys imposed any restrictions or scope limitations during the interview that would have precluded an investigation into evidence.”
Comer, Jordan and Smith have now requested transcripts, audio and video recordings and other documents related to the interview with Biden’s special counsel.
Hur concluded earlier this month that “no criminal prosecution is warranted in this matter” of Biden’s document handling, and Republicans say they now need to see the interview to investigate whether the DOJ is applying a double standard to Biden’s and Trump’s mishandling of classified documents .
Hur’s inclusion of language in his report referring to the president as a “well-meaning, older man with a bad memory” proved politically explosive, prompting an angry news conference from the president Thursday evening.
Hur insisted that Biden had “diminished capabilities” and at some points “didn’t remember when he was vice president.”
Republicans jumped on the material, saying it proves Biden is not fit to run the country.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer demands transcripts of President Joe Biden’s interviews with Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigators in their investigation into classified documents
Rubert Hur’s report refers to Biden’s ‘fuzzy’ memory
The investigation suggests Biden continues to face lingering political challenges in the wake of Hur’s investigation, even as it was announced he would not be charged with crimes related to his “intentional” retention of classified documents.
Hur gave Biden’s rival Donald Trump and Republicans plenty to work with, even without extra paper or transcripts.
It said that if Biden were indicted, a jury might be sympathetic as he comes across as a “well-meaning, older man with a poor memory.”
One particularly damaging passage that Hur included read: “In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse. He didn’t remember when he was vice president, forgot on the first day of the interview when his term ended (“if it was 2013, when did I stop being vice president?”), and forgot on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘am I still vice president in 2009?’),” the report said.
‘He didn’t even remember within a few years that his son Beau died. And his memory seemed hazy as he described the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him.”
Biden exploded at that passage during a defiant news conference, where he said his memory is “fine.”
‘It is even said that I cannot remember when my son died. How on earth does he dare bring that up? “I don’t need anyone, I don’t need anyone to remind me of his passing,” the president told reporters.
“Honestly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, it was none of their damn business.”
Asked about the “older man” language, Biden said: “I mean well and I’m an older man, and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’m the president and I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation, it’s completely out of order.’
Biden’s official response from his lawyers, included in the back of the Hur report, decries the inclusion of “highly biased” language about his memory, and questions why other witnesses were cleared for “vague” memory errors. It says it relies on “highly biased language” to describe memory loss which is “a common occurrence.”
If Hur is to be blamed for even bringing up how Biden might defend himself in front of a jury since his report concluded he should not be charged.