Republican, Democratic Lawmakers Criticize Robert Hur Over Biden Report

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.