Special counsel Robert Hur rejected Democrats’ claims that he has “completely exonerated” Joe Biden by not charging him with mishandling classified documents during his fiery appearance in Congress.
He also revealed that the White House requested “certain changes” to the report when he sent a draft saying Biden had a poor memory.
Hur then agreed with Republican Rep. Jim Jordan that “pride and money” motivated Biden to keep sensitive files because he used some of the material for a memoir that earned him $8 million.
In a tense exchange with Rep. Pramila Jayapal over whether his damning report exonerated Biden, Hur said, “I didn’t exonerate him.”
Special counsel Robert Hur dismissed Democrats’ claims that he ‘completely exonerated’ Joe Biden by not charging him with mishandling classified documents
He also said the word “exoneration” did not appear in the report.
Japayal said, “Mr. Hooray, it’s my time” as they spoke over each other during his impressive testimony in Congress.
At one point, Rep. Will Kiley, R-Calif., suggested to Hur that a “reasonable juror” could have voted to convict Biden based on the facts Hur presented.
“Right,” Hur said.
He declined to weigh in on a “hypothetical” question of whether or not he could vote to convict if he were on the jury.
White House surveillance spokesman Ian Sams joked back about the “exonerated” comments about the opposite has been proven. The final conclusion here was that the charges are NOT warranted and the case is CLOSED. In other words, the president was acquitted.”
Democrats and Republicans fired fierce questions at Hur during his appearance on Capitol Hill Tuesday, a month after he released the report that said Biden had a poor memory and “impaired capabilities.”
He insisted that politics played “no role whatsoever” in his findings and rejected Democrats’ suggestions that his damning report was an attempt to get Donald Trump elected.
Republicans also questioned Hur, asking why Biden was not charged while Trump was.
Hur began his testimony by revealing that Biden “intentionally” kept classified materials as private and gave them to Mark Zwonitzer — the ghost writer of his $8 million book — who later tried to destroy them.
In a tense exchange with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (above) over whether his damning report exonerated Biden, he said: ‘I didn’t exonerate him’
Hur then agreed with Republican Rep. Jim Jordan that “pride and money” motivated Biden to keep sensitive files because he used some of the material for a memoir that earned him $8 million.
Hur arrived on Capitol Hill to offer insight into his devastating report of classified documents that depicted Biden as “elderly” and “forgetful” and with “diminished faculties,” but did not recommend charges against the president.
He pushed back on Democrats who claimed his report cleared Biden of any wrongdoing, saying it “does not exonerate” the president.
“We found evidence that the president deliberately withheld classified material after the end of his vice presidency, when he was a private citizen,” Hur said at the high-stakes hearing.
Hur said the evidence included a recorded conversation between Biden and his ghost writer Zwonitzer, in which the president stated that he had just “found all the classified stuff downstairs.”
After leaving the vice presidency, Biden and current First Lady Jill signed a multi-book deal with Flatiron Books worth $8 million, according to Publishers Weekly.
The first book, “Promise Me, Dad,” a memoir about the death of his son Beau and his decision not to run for president in 2015, briefly topped the bestseller list.
He insisted that politics “didn’t play any role” in his findings and rejected Democrats’ suggestions. His damning report was an attempt to get Donald Trump elected.
Hur shockingly revealed that the ghost writer tried to hide evidence after being appointed special counsel in the case.
“What did that ghostwriter do with the information that Joe Biden shared with him on his laptop, what did he do after you were appointed special counsel?” House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan asked the former special counsel.
“He put those files in the trash on his computer,” Hur said.
He “tried to destroy the evidence, didn’t he?” Jordan asked.
“Right,” Hur said.
Chief Judge Jim Jordan noted that Biden received $8 million for his book deal and argued that Biden knowingly handed over those documents to the writer.
“Pride and money are why he knowingly broke the rules,” Jordan said of Biden.
Biden said in his interview with Hur that he was making more money from book sales than he had ever made in his life.
“I ended up making more money selling that book than I ever made in my entire life,” Biden said. ‘I was able to give away a million dollars to charity. I’ve always wanted to do that.’
Biden vowed during a fiery press conference on Feb. 8 after Hur’s bombshell report was published that he had not shared classified documents.