Republican, Democratic Lawmakers Criticize Robert Hur Over Biden Report
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Special Counsel Robert Hur faced criticism from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
For Context: Last month, Hur released his report on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. Although no charges were recommended, Hur’s report noted Biden’s memory lapses, at one point describing Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
What Democrats Said: Democratic lawmakers criticized Hur for his descriptions of Biden’s memory and mental state, accusing Hur of playing politics. Hur refuted these claims, arguing he refused to “shape, sanitize or omit portions of my reasoning for political reasons.” Hur also pushed back on Democratic lawmakers alleging that the report “exonerated” Biden of wrongdoing, stating, “The word exoneration does not appear anywhere in my report, and that is not my conclusion.”
What Republicans Said: Republican lawmakers criticized Hur for declining to recommend charges be pressed against Biden, despite citing “evidence” of wrongdoing. Hur pushed back, arguing the evidence was deemed insufficient to warrant charges. Republican lawmakers also accused Hur of letting Biden off the hook due to his memory issues, which Hur refuted, arguing that Biden’s mental state was only one element of his conclusion.
How the Media Covered It: The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) and the Associated Press (Lean Left bias) both published analysis articles citing the transcript of Hur’s interview with Biden to question Hur’s final report. Right-rated outlets focused most prominently on Hur’s statement clarifying that he did not exonerate Biden of wrongdoing.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Hur’s testimony undermines some key GOP claims on BidenRepublicans and Democrats were somewhat unsure what to do Tuesday with former special counsel Robert K. Hur, the man who declined to accuse President Biden of criminally retaining classified documents while also highlighting Biden’s memory problems.
A case in point: A Democratic congressman accused Hur of using his report to “trash and smear” Biden and to help Donald Trump, even as a Republican pilloried him as “part of the Praetorian Guard that guards the swamp out here in Washington, D.C., protecting the elites.”
But on several key points in his...
From the Center
Biden classified files report: Robert Hur hearing highlights partisan divideFive weeks after his report into Joe Biden's handling of classified documents exploded a political bombshell, former special counsel Robert Hur appeared at a hearing in Congress to explain and defend his work.
Although Mr Hur declined to pursue a criminal case against Mr Biden or any of his associates, his report became a political lightning rod for how it depicted the president of the US.
It characterised him as a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory". It also cited instances of Mr Biden being unable to recall some...
From the Right
Hur insists that he 'did not exonerate' Biden, repeatedly shutting down Democrat characterizationsEx-Special Counsel Robert Hur testified on Tuesday that he "did not exonerate" President Biden in his report detailing the investigation into mishandling of classified records, repeatedly shutting down Democratic lawmakers’ characterizations.
Hur, who resigned as special counsel after releasing his report which found Biden willfully retained classified records but did not bring charges against him, testified publicly Tuesday.
Democrats seized on the fact that Hur did not bring charges against the president, claiming he exonerated the president completely.
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