Democrats used special counsel Robert Hur’s hearing to launch an attack on Donald Trump — essentially claiming that he is as mentally unfit for office as President Joe Biden.
Judiciary Committee member Jerry Nadler played a minute-and-a-half video of Trump’s gaffes just minutes after Republican Chairman Jim Jordan played a video of Biden’s news conference addressing the report.
Democrats argue that Hur only included Biden’s age in his report because he is a Republican — but some Judiciary Committee Republicans are angry that he did not recommend charges, while others decry the double standard.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said he agrees with Hur’s decision not to charge Biden — but claims Trump shouldn’t have been charged in his classified documents case either.
Hur’s hearing Tuesday serves as an opportunity for Republicans to present their argument that he should have recommended charges against Biden in the classified documents case, following a scathing report that highlighted the president’s “poor memory” and “diminished capabilities.” president were cited as a reason not to go. before the judge.
Judiciary Committee member Jerry Nadler played a video of Donald Trump’s blunders to highlight how his missteps are as common as those of President Joe Biden.
One of the blunders was when Trump mixed up Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi during a campaign rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on January 17, 2024.
Meanwhile, Democrats argue that the mental errors during Biden’s five-hour interview with Hur were no less serious than Trump’s blunders.
Both Democrats and Republicans have essentially argued that the other party’s candidate is too old or mentally unfit to run. But in making these arguments, they are seemingly inadvertently agreeing with the American public that other options are needed in 2024.
Biden is 81 and would be 82 at the start of a second term, and Trump is 77. Both have made increasingly frequent verbal blunders and Biden has had a series of embarrassing stumbles and falls.
“After opening his home to federal investigators… President Biden volunteered for a five-hour interview with the special counsel,” Rep. Nadler (D-N.Y.) credited the president, admitting, “I believe , as is his habit, that President Biden probably made a few verbal mistakes during the interview.”
“And I’m not sure if any of that matters because when the interview was over, Mr. Hur completely exonerated President Biden,” the ranking member added.
“And then there’s Donald Trump,” he complained. ‘What kind of man squanders not one, but dozens of opportunities to avoid criminal liability. What does that say about his mental state? Here too, the record speaks for itself.’
A video of Trump’s verbal flubs was then played in the interrogation room, including a series of statements at different times: “I don’t remember.”
Moments earlier, Rep. Jordan (R-Ohio) played a video of Bidne’s press conference after the report was released, in which he denied and contradicted many of Hur’s findings.
Hur’s report described Biden as a “well-meaning, older man with a poor memory,” drawing condemnation from Democrats who said the special counsel did not need to consider the president’s age.
Democrats also targeted special counsel Robert Hur because he was a Republican, saying he harped on Biden’s age in his report in an effort to get Trump re-elected.
“To make my position credible, I knew I couldn’t simply announce that no charges would be filed, I had to explain why. I had to show my work,” Hur explained his decision based on his assessment.
At the press conference after Biden’s report at the White House last month, he said: ‘I mean well and I’m an older man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I have been president and I have put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation.’
“My memory is fine,” he insisted.
Democratic lawmakers took aim at Hur during the hearing for being a Republican, claiming his report was deliberately biased. They insist the special counsel is working to get Trump re-elected so he can climb the government ladder.
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) asked about Hur’s party affiliation, to which he replied, “I’m a registered Republican,” drawing applause from an attendee.
“You’re doing everything you can to get President Trump re-elected so you can be appointed a federal judge, or perhaps another position at the Department of Justice. Isn’t that right?’ Johnson wondered.
“Congressman, I can assure you that I have no such ambitions,” Hur replied.
“And I can tell you that there was no place for party politics in my work,” he added from the witness stand. “It didn’t belong in the investigative steps I took, it didn’t belong in the decision I made and it didn’t belong in a single word of my report.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) suggested that Hur knew his words would “spark a political firestorm” and that he was being deliberately inflammatory.
But Hur said that if he were to omit statements about Biden’s memory, the report would be “incomplete and inappropriate.”