WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday refuted claims by Special Counsel Robert Hur about his memory being poor as “plain wrong” and denied willfully retaining classified documents.
Biden’s comments responded to a 15-month investigation report by Hur, which examined his handling of classified documents. He was found not guilty.
The 388-page report, covering a wide array of topics, including Biden’s memory and recollection abilities, provoked an emotional response from the president, especially regarding references to his late son, Beau. “I don’t need anyone to remind me when he passed away,” Biden stated during a Washington news conference.
“I had written a long memorandum to President Obama why we should not be in Afghanistan. And I was… multiple pages. And so what I was referring to, I said classified, I should have said it was, should be private because it was a contact between a president and vice president as to what was going on. That’s what it was referring to. It was not classified information in that document. That was not classified,” Biden said.
The case’s conclusion distinguishes Biden from his potential 2024 presidential opponent, Donald Trump, in that Biden will not face prison time for mishandling government documents.
However, the findings may still cause embarrassment for Biden, 81, as he seeks to persuade voters for another four-year term as the oldest serving U.S. president.
