News networks are busy with another congressional hearing this morning, this time testimony from former special counsel Robert Hoare about his report concluding that Joe Biden should not face charges over his handling of classified documents. However, Hoare also highlighted the president’s memory lapses.
Hur is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, which is known for its controversy and theatrics. The opening of the session saw Republicans showing a video of Biden and Democrats showing footage of Donald Trump, contradicting efforts to claim cognitive decline.
Throughout the morning, Hoare is expected to face criticism from the right over why the president should not be prosecuted and from the left over his decision to describe Biden as an “old man with a weak memory.” Following the report’s release last month, Biden appeared at a hastily called news conference and took issue with Hur’s description of his mental state during his testimony, particularly suggesting that he could not remember when his son Beau died.
In the hours before Hoare’s appearance, news outlets reported details of a transcript of Biden’s statements, including an exchange in which the month in which his son died was discussed. The transcript is a bit more nuanced, a number of outlets say, than the idea that Biden didn’t remember the details. He remembers the exact day as others have reminded him of the year.
In his opening remarks, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, highlighted references to Biden’s memory lapses in the Hur report while insisting that the president “broke the law.”
Jordan also played a video of Biden’s press conference from last month, to try to show the president’s contradictions. However, that video was countered by a clip introduced by the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), which highlighted Trump’s memory lapses.