US President Joe Biden defends his memory after a special counsel report raises concerns about his fitness for office. He also intends to run for president again in 2024.
President Joe Biden spoke out in response to a recent report that raised questions about his memory. The report, from the justice department, looked into how well Biden remembered important events and facts. It also investigated his handling of classified documents, but found no criminal wrongdoing.
In a surprise speech, Biden pushed back against the report’s claims. He highlighted that he had participated in a lengthy interview for the investigation while dealing with urgent international matters.
Biden emphasized differences between his handling of documents and former President Donald Trump’s practices. He firmly stated that his memory is fine. Though he did make a mistake during his speech by mixing up Mexico and Egypt in a response about the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The report by special counsel Robert Hur focused on Biden’s retention of classified documents from his time as a senator and vice-president. It found that Biden had kept and disclosed these materials. However, he declined to bring charges due to concerns about his memory and the difficulty of proving intent.
Biden’s team criticized the report’s language about his memory, calling it unfair. They stressed that no criminal charges were warranted and that the matter is now closed.
Biden’s personal attorney Bob Bauer accused the special counsel of violating “well-established’ norms and “trashing” the president.
“The special counsel could not refrain from investigative excess, perhaps unsurprising given the intense pressures of the current political environment. Whatever the impact of those pressures on the final report, it flouts department regulations and norms,” he said in a statement.
The release of the report is likely to become a topic in the upcoming 2024 election, with Republicans expected to use it against Biden. Trump, who is also under investigation for handling classified documents. He claimed Biden’s case was more severe, though this assertion has been disputed.
Overall, Biden defended himself against the report’s implications, maintaining that he did nothing wrong and that the investigation found no basis for criminal charges.
