Robert Okay. Hur, the particular counsel whose investigation of President Biden’s dealing with of categorised paperwork raised questions concerning the president’s psychological acuity, defended his inclusion of the disparaging remarks on Tuesday throughout a listening to earlier than the Home Judiciary Committee.
In February, Mr. Hur concluded a yearlong investigation into Mr. Biden’s retention of delicate authorities paperwork by discovering that the president ought to face no felony prices. However Mr. Hur, utilizing language Mr. Biden’s staff noticed as gratuitous, politically damaging and out of doors his job description, described the octogenarian president as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, aged man with a poor reminiscence,” more likely to be acquitted by any jury.
Mr. Hur, 51, started the listening to as a uniquely unifying determine in divided Washington — a person disdained by Democrats and Republicans alike. He’s going through withering questioning from each events as he explains his evaluation of Mr. Biden and the barbed prose in his 345-page report.
He pushed again in opposition to criticism of his report, telling the committee that his unflattering description of Mr. Biden was required to “present my work” to justify why he didn’t cost the president after uncovering some proof that he had knowingly held onto categorised paperwork. “I couldn’t make that dedication with out assessing the president’s way of thinking,” he stated.
The listening to started with the Republican chairman of the committee, Consultant Jim Jordan, questioning the equity of prosecuting former President Donald J. Trump and never Mr. Biden — despite the fact that Mr. Hur has stated Mr. Trump’s actions had been incomparably worse. The opening statements from committee members made clear the listening to could be one thing of a proxy battle for the approaching presidential contest: Republicans performed a video of Mr. Biden’s information convention after the Hur report was launched, whereas Democrats performed a spotlight reel of miscues by Mr. Trump.
Right here’s what else to know:
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Republicans are peppering Mr. Hur about his interactions with Justice Division officers and his authorized justifications for not charging Mr. Biden, regardless of discovering proof suggesting that he knew a few of the materials he possessed was secret. The representatives have additionally used the listening to to stoke concern about his age and reminiscence.
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Democrats are criticizing Mr. Hur for making broad assertions about Mr. Biden’s reminiscence and attempting to undermine his authority to make such an evaluation, presenting the report as purposeful, politically motivated and excessive.
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Mr. Hur is testifying as a personal citizen, not a Justice Division worker: As of Monday, he had resigned as particular counsel and shall be represented by a personal lawyer, William A. Burck, in accordance with a division spokesman. Mr. Burck, former deputy counsel within the George W. Bush White Home, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
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The political stakes of Tuesday’s listening to, whereas nonetheless excessive, are on show days after Mr. Biden delivered a fiery protection of his presidency throughout a State of the Union speech that appeared to handle a few of the issues about age and psychological health raised by the particular counsel.
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It isn’t uncommon for witnesses in federal instances to quote their defective recollections in interviews with investigators, significantly about occasions that occurred years earlier. However Mr. Hur included references to Mr. Biden’s reminiscence that didn’t relate on to retaining categorised paperwork — together with the president’s wrestle to recall the yr (2015) when his son Beau died.