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The White House’s review of whether to release a transcript of a special counsel’s interview of President Biden that set off a political furor is being complicated by the sensitive material it covers, including classified information, security measures and discussions that could be subject to executive privilege, people familiar with the matter said. The White House has been pressed by reporters seeking the transcript since the release last week of the report by Robert K. Hur, a special counsel who investigated Mr. Biden’s handling of classified records from his vice presidency after he left office. And three Republican chairmen of House oversight committees have sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland demanding that he turn over both the transcript and audio recording. Such a disclosure does not appear imminent, according to people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters about why the review is challenging. Mr. Hur, who was appointed by Mr. Garland and had served as a political appointee in the Trump Justice Department, found that “no criminal charges are warranted” against Mr. Biden even though classified material from his vice presidency had been found at an office and in his home.
Persons: Biden, Robert K, Hur, General Merrick B, Garland, . Hur Organizations: White, Trump Justice Department, Mr
Special Counsel Robert K. Hur’s report, in which he declined to prosecute President Biden for his handling of classified documents, also included a much-debated assessment of Mr. Biden’s cognitive abilities. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview with him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”As an expert on memory, I can assure you that everyone forgets. Broadly speaking, memory functions begin to decline in our 30s and continue to fade into old age. However, age in and of itself doesn’t indicate the presence of memory deficits that would affect an individual’s ability to perform in a demanding leadership role. And an apparent memory lapse may or may not be consequential depending on the reasons it occurred.
Persons: Robert K, Biden, “ Mr
Opinion | Why I Am Now Deeply Worried for America
  + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
It has seemed increasingly likely that the nation’s good sense would prevail and democracy would survive. But watching the frenzy over President Biden’s age, I am, for the first time, profoundly concerned about the nation’s future. It now seems entirely possible that within the next year, American democracy could be irretrievably altered. And the final blow won’t be the rise of political extremism — that rise certainly created the preconditions for disaster, but it has been part of the landscape for some time now. No, what may turn this menace into catastrophe is the way the hand-wringing over Biden’s age has overshadowed the real stakes in the 2024 election.
Persons: we’ve, Biden’s, Hillary, Donald Trump, Robert Hur, shouldn’t, Biden, James, Clinton — Hur, Comey Organizations: Democrat
Democrats insist Joe Biden's mind is fine following Robert Hur's special counsel report. Hur declined to file charges but questioned Biden's memory in his report. The report by special counsel Robert Hur was released following his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. However, he described Biden's memory as "poor" at times, even bringing up details regarding the May 2015 death of his son, Beau Biden. The most difficult part about a meeting with President Biden is preparing for it, because he is sharp, intensely probing and detail oriented and focused."
Persons: Joe Biden's, Robert Hur's, Hur, Biden, , Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Beau Biden, Ro Khanna, he's, Khanna, Jen Psaki, Biden's, Psaki, gaffes, Alejandro Mayorkas, hasn't, Mayorkas, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Democratic, California, CNN, MSNBC, White House, NBC, Press, of Homeland, Republican Locations:
White House officials and Democrats fanned out to defend President Biden’s mental fitness on Sunday, reflecting the rising anxiety in the president’s administration over a special counsel report that fueled concern about his age. “This is a report that went off the rails,” Bob Bauer, Mr. Biden’s personal lawyer, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “A shabby work product.”The report, released on Thursday, cleared Mr. Biden of criminal wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents after leaving the vice presidency. But the special counsel in the case, Robert K. Hur, characterized Mr. Biden, 81, as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” who had “diminished faculties in advancing age.”Democrats have gone on the offensive to discredit what they say is a partisan hit that potentially violated Justice Department policy, specifically taking issue with the descriptions questioning Mr. Biden’s memory.
Persons: Bob Bauer, , Biden, Robert K, Hur, Mr Organizations: White, Mr, Democrats, Department
A special counsel’s conclusion that “no criminal charges are warranted” against President Biden for possessing classified material while he was out of office stands in contrast with another special counsel’s decision to bring criminal charges against former President Donald J. Trump for keeping classified documents after he left the White House. After the Justice Department released the final report of the special counsel in the Biden documents inquiry this week, Mr. Trump sought to portray the two matters as equivalent and declared that he was being treated differently for political reasons. “You know, look, if he’s not going to be charged, that’s up to them — but then I should not be charged,” Mr. Trump said at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pa. “This is nothing more than selective persecution of Biden’s political opponent: me.”But despite their superficial similarity, the facts of the two cases are very different, as the report by the special counsel in the Biden inquiry — Robert K. Hur, a Republican whom Mr. Trump had previously appointed to two Justice Department positions — stressed. Here is a closer look.
Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, he’s, Mr, Robert K, Hur, Organizations: Trump, White, Justice Department, Biden, Republican Locations: Harrisburg, Pa
Memory Loss Requires Careful Diagnosis, Scientists Say
  + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Gina Kolata | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: 1 min
A lengthy report by the Department of Justice on President Biden’s handling of classified documents contained some astonishing assessments of his well-being and mental health. Mr. Biden, 81, was an “elderly man with a poor memory” and “diminished faculties” who “did not remember when he was vice president,” the special counsel Robert K. Hur said. In conversations recorded in 2017, Mr. Biden was “often painfully slow” and “struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.” So impaired was Mr. Biden that a jury was unlikely to convict him, Mr. Hur said. Republicans were quick to pounce, some calling the president unfit for office and demanding his removal.
Persons: Biden’s, Biden, , , Robert K, Hur, Mr Organizations: Department of Justice, Mr
Former President Donald J. Trump, who faces a criminal case accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents, blasted on Friday a special counsel’s decision not to charge President Biden for his handling of classified material, accusing prosecutors of an unfair double standard. “You know, look, if he’s not going to be charged, that’s up to them. But then I should not be charged,” Mr. Trump said at an event in Harrisburg, Pa. “This is nothing more than selective persecution of Biden’s political opponent: me.”Mr. Trump’s speech, at a forum hosted by the National Rifle Association, were his first public remarks on the matter since the special counsel, Robert K. Hur, released a report stating that, although Mr. Biden had “willfully” retained and disclosed classified material after his vice presidency had ended, no criminal charges were warranted. Mr. Trump said he had cooperated “with the very hostile and unfriendly feds” more than Mr. Biden, a claim unsupported by any evidence. Mr. Hur’s report said the president fully cooperated with his investigation, while Mr. Trump has been accused of misleading the government for months over the classified documents in his possession.
Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, he’s, Mr, Robert K, Hur, , , Hur’s Organizations: National Rifle Association Locations: Harrisburg, Pa
The man Mr. Garland tapped for the job, Robert K. Hur, has not been quite as cautious. On Thursday, Mr. Hur, 50, a former Justice Department official in the Trump administration, dropped a 345-page political bomb into the middle of the 2024 campaign, the final report summing up his investigation. The Hur report underlines the challenges of deploying special counsels, which are intended to shield prosecutors from political meddling, but often result in the release of negative information about high-profile targets who have been cleared of criminal wrongdoing. It also showed the complicated balance of the job — navigating a polarized environment that leaves little option but to expansively explain the rationale for any decision. Mr. Hur is no stranger to high-wire investigations and legal conflict.
Persons: General Merrick B, Garland, Biden’s, Robert K, Hur, Trump, Biden, Donald J, Mr, Rod J, Rosenstein —, Rosenstein, Robert S, Mueller III Organizations: Justice Department Locations: Russia
Biden's age and memory have been a frequent target for his opponents — largely Republicans — who argue that the 81-year-old is not fit for a second term in office. AdvertisementA recent NBC News poll found that 76% of voters, including Democrats, had major or moderate concerns about Biden's age. The special counsel report and the subsequent media gaffes the president made in his Thursday press conference to defend his mental acuity don't help. The special counsel report does raise some important questions about 2024. Advertisement"This is obviously a serious charge for anyone who wants to be president," Dusso said, referring to concerns about Biden's age.
Persons: , Robert K, Hur, Joe Biden, Biden, Beau, Donald Trump, Biden's, Harris, Biden shouldn't, he's, There's, Christian Grose, Grose, Trump, Aaron Dusso, Dusso, Ian Bremmer Organizations: Service, Business, Biden, Trump, Harvard, NBC, Democratic, NBC News, University of Southern, Trump's, Indiana University, Purdue University Indianapolis, Voters, Eurasia Group Locations: willfulness, University of Southern California, Trump
Where the classified material was storedBiden sought to contrast his handling of classified material with that of former President Donald Trump, who faces felony charges for willfully retaining classified documents. According to the special counsel, even classified documents Biden was storing elsewhere in his home were insufficiently secure. Hur wrote that Biden notebooks containing classified information from his vice presidency were found by investigators in “unlocked drawers in the office and basement den” of the home. The classification level of the documents Biden had in his possessionBiden claimed of the documents he possessed: “None of it was high classified. Biden shared information, including some classified information, from those notebooks with his ghostwriter.” He elaborated that Biden shared classified information with his ghostwriter by reading “nearly verbatim” from his notebooks “on at least three occasions,” including his “notes from meetings in the Situation Room.”Hur did find, however, that Biden “at times” tried to avoid sharing classified information, by stopping at or skipping over certain material from the notebooks.
Persons: Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Biden, Hur’s, Donald Trump, Hur, Trump, , Ian Sams, ” Sams, CNN’s MJ Lee, , Sams, weren’t, Barack Obama, ” Hur, Obama, Mr, Mark Zwonitzer, Afghanistan –, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal Organizations: CNN, , White, National Security, SCI, Mr, FISA, Virginia, National Security Council Locations: Lago, Biden’s Delaware, Afghanistan, Virginia, United States, , Iraq, Delaware
Opinion | The Challenges of an Aging President
  + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +2 min
Because of his age and his determination to run for a second term, President Biden is taking the American public into uncharted waters. He is the oldest person ever to serve as president, is the oldest ever to run for re-election and, if he is successful, would be 86 at the end of his tenure. Ronald Reagan, by comparison, was an unprecedented 77 when he ended his second term in 1989. A remarkably broad swath of the American public — both Mr. Biden’s supporters and his detractors — have expressed increasing doubts about his ability to serve for another five years because of his age. His assurances, in other words, didn’t work.
Persons: Biden, Ronald Reagan, Biden’s, , Nate Cohn, Biden’s ‘, , Robert K, Mr, Hur, snappish, teleprompters, Donald Trump Organizations: , Times, Mr Locations: Siena
An independent special counsel poured kerosene on concerns about Joe Biden’s age with pointed language about the president’s poor memory after concluding Biden had willfully mishandled classified documents – and that his failing memory makes him impossible to convict. ► He appears poised for a win at the Supreme Court. Feeding the frenzy about Biden’s ageIn concluding Biden should not be prosecuted, Special Counsel Robert Hur, a former Trump-appointed US Attorney in Maryland, offered a political indictment of the president’s fitness. Still, larger Trump-related questions loom for the Supreme Court, such as whether Trump enjoys absolute immunity from prosecution. Trump attorney Jonathan Mitchell speaks before the Supreme Court on February 8.
Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Biden, ” Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley’s, It’s, Robert Hur, Hur, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, , , Beau, , Richard Sauber, Bob Bauer, Jamie Raskin, ” Raskin, CNN’s Wolf, General Merrick Garland, Biden’s, Lago, Hur’s, Barack Obama, Obama, , Joe Biden's, Trump’s, Haley, Jonathan Mitchell, Bill Hennessy Trump’s Organizations: CNN, White House, Republican, Supreme, Trump, Oval, , Biden, Maryland Democrat, Democratic, House Democrats, National Archives, Mar, Department of Justice, Virgin Islands, South Locations: Nevada, Colorado, Maryland, Carolina, Virginia, Biden’s Delaware, Florida, Afghanistan, Joe Biden's Delaware, Virgin, South Carolina, Washington ,
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Thursday released the report by Robert K. Hur, the special counsel Mr. Garland had assigned to investigate how classified documents ended up in an office formerly used by President Biden and in his home in Delaware. Mr. Hur was bound by a Justice Department policy that holds that the Constitution implicitly makes sitting presidents temporarily immune from prosecution, so he could not have charged Mr. Biden even if he wanted to. But Mr. Hur wrote that Mr. Biden should not be charged regardless. “We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter,” he wrote. But he said the evidence fell short of what would be necessary to “establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Persons: Merrick B, Garland, Robert K, Hur, Biden, Mr, , , ” Mr Organizations: Justice Department, of Justice Locations: Delaware
Out of every detail listed in the 383-page special counsel report, it was the suggestion that President Biden had trouble remembering when his elder son, Beau, died that seemed to anger the president the most. During a news conference just hours after the report was released, Mr. Biden appeared to struggle to keep his composure when recalling a line, on page 212 of the report, that suggested that “he did not remember, even within several years,” when his son died. “I know there’s some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events,” Mr. Biden said, his chin quivering either from anger or sadness. “There’s even a reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that?”He said he had worn his son’s rosary “since the day he died.”Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, appears 16 times in the pages of the report prepared by Robert K. Hur, the special counsel appointed to investigate Mr. Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Persons: Biden, Beau, , , ” Mr, ” Beau Biden, Robert K, Hur
The unredacted report found that Biden carelessly handled classified materials after he left the vice presidency, even sharing classified materials with the ghostwriter for his autobiography. But the report by special counsel Robert K. Hur recommended that Biden not be prosecuted, since the evidence was not powerful enough to charge him. It was that headline Biden himself seized on Wednesday afternoon as he rallied fellow Democrats at their retreat in Leesburg, Virginia. "I was especially pleased to see the special counsel make clear the stark differences in this case and Donald Trump," Biden added, referring to the 40 -count indictment against the former president. Trump is facing serious legal consequences because of his classified documents case, but Biden may face serious political damage from the special counsel's report on his handling of classified materials.
Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Beau, Robert K, Hur, Donald Trump, Trump, , Jack Smith, , Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Nikki Haley, Richard Sauber Organizations: Justice Department, Republicans, GOP, United Nations Locations: Leesburg , Virginia, Afghanistan, Leesburg, Israel
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the press conference after the opening session of Crimea Platform conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 August 2023. OLEG PETRASYUK/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine's navy and military intelligence carried out a "special operation" overnight in which units landed on Russian-occupied Crimea, the defence ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said on Thursday. "Special units on watercraft landed on the shore in the area of the Olenivka and Mayak settlements," HUR said in a statement. "Also, the state flag flew again in Ukrainian Crimea," it said, without saying where exactly or providing further details. On Wednesday, Ukraine's military intelligence also reported deliberately luring a Russian military pilot to land his Mi-8 helicopter at a Ukrainian airfield.
Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, OLEG PETRASYUK, HUR, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dan Peleschuk, Timothy Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Directorate of Intelligence, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Crimea, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Olenivka, Ukrainian Crimea, Ukrainian
Mr. Garland, who made the announcement at the Justice Department’s headquarters in Washington, said David C. Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, who has handled the case for years, would become the special counsel. The move comes seven months after Mr. Garland appointed Robert K. Hur to be a special counsel investigating whether President Biden has mishandled classified documents. Mr. Garland said he made the decision to elevate Mr. Weiss after the prosecutor informed him on Tuesday the investigation had “reached the stage” where the powers of a special counsel were necessary to continue. Mr. Garland said Mr. Weiss would have the authority to investigate all related matters in his inquiry and might bring charges in any jurisdiction. The appointment on Friday all but ensures that a yearslong investigation into a wide array of conduct in Hunter Biden’s life — including his foreign business dealings, drug use and taxes — will continue.
Persons: Thrush, Luke Broadwater, General Merrick B, Garland, Biden’s, Hunter, Justice Department’s, David C, Weiss, Robert K, Hur, Biden, , Donald J, Trump’s, Chris Cameron Organizations: Justice, Privately Locations: Washington, U.S, Delaware
“The appointment of Mr. Weiss reinforces for the American people the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters,” Mr. Garland said. Mr. Clark and the Justice Department prosecutors overseeing the case had distinctly different understandings of the immunity Hunter Biden would receive from the deal. House Republicans quickly signaled the special counsel appointment would not alleviate their criticism of the investigation into Hunter Biden. agents was that Mr. Weiss had sought to bring charges against Hunter Biden in Washington and California but was rebuffed after prosecutors in those jurisdictions declined to partner with him. House Republicans have also issued subpoenas to six banks, detailing millions that were paid to Hunter Biden and his business partners from overseas companies.
Persons: General Merrick B, Garland, Biden’s, Hunter, Justice Department’s, David C, Weiss, Hunter Biden, Biden, , Garland scoffed, Weiss —, , Mr, Jack Smith, Donald J, Trump, Robert K, Hur, Trump’s, Hunter Biden’s, Christopher Clark, ” Mr, Clark, , Russell Dye, Jim Jordan, “ Weiss, Kevin McCarthy, Biden’s D.O.J, couldn’t, Devon Archer, Archer, Chris Cameron Organizations: Justice, Internal Revenue Service, Mr, Republican, Republicans, Justice Department, House Republicans, Biden, Congress, Department, Trump Locations: Washington, U.S, Delaware, Delaware , Washington, Wilmington, Del, Ohio, Washington and California
CNN —The Justice Department has spent over $9.2 million investigating former President Donald Trump since the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith in November, according to the first public accounting of his expenses. Smith’s office, leading the high-profile investigations into Trump, has spent more than $5.4 million between November and March 31, the Justice Department said. Other DOJ entities have spent an additional $3.8 million to support Smith. Another $1 million dollars paid for investigative support and more than $80,000 went to helping employees relocate while they worked for the special counsel. Durham spendingDurham, the special counsel appointed to investigate potential misconduct in the Trump-Russia probe, spent more than $7 million from the time he started his investigation as a special counsel, according to Friday’s filing.
Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Smith, Robert Hur, John Durham, Robert Mueller, Trump . Hur, Joe Biden’s, Hur, Durham, Hillary Clinton Organizations: CNN, The Justice, Trump, Justice Department, DOJ, White Locations: Russia, Durham, acquittals
WASHINGTON—Weeks after adding the National Football League as a client, former prosecutor Robert Hur received a call from Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to serve as the special counsel overseeing the investigation into classified documents found at a home and former office of President Biden. It was a request Mr. Hur told associates he didn’t feel he could refuse, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Hur accepted the appointment clear-eyed about the reputational risks of taking on an investigation into a sitting president, according to people familiar with his considerations, especially as a separate special counsel investigates former President Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents found at his South Florida residence and private club, Mar-a-Lago.
Many in the White House were blindsided when AG Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden, WaPo reported. The GOP has accused the special counsel Robert Hur of being partisan, but a former Trump lawyer disagreed, saying he's "smart and experienced." That's why many in the White House were blindsided, according to The Washington Post, when Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden's mishandling of classified information. Republicans and Democrats alike have criticized the Biden White House for failing to disclose the existence of the DOJ's investigation for two months, despite having known about it since November. But Ty Cobb, who once served as Trump's White House counsel, dismissed those concerns.
President Joe BidenPresident Joe Biden speaks at the White House on January 12, 2023. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel, Robert K. Hur, to investigate Biden for potential mishandling of classified documents. Another State Department investigation that lasted for three years and ended in 2019 found Clinton's use of a private email server put classified information at risk but that there was "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information." Berger was found to have smuggled out highly classified documents, destroying some, and lying about possessing them. Lower-profile federal officials are more commonly chargedIn addition to former presidents and top White House officials, lower-profile federal agents are more commonly charged with mishandling government documents.
WASHINGTON—When Rod Rosenstein left the Justice Department in 2019 after a rocky two years as deputy attorney general, his former top aide and protégé, Robert Hur, delivered a roast recalling the office’s capacity for comedic relief amid adversity. “When you’re going through tough times, when you say, ‘You can’t make this stuff up,’ you can either laugh or you can cry,” Mr. Hur said. “I certainly don’t remember any crying.”Mr. Hur’s resilience will soon be tested again. On Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed him as special counsel to oversee the investigation into classified documents discovered at President Biden’s home and an office he used at a Washington think tank following his vice presidency.
House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan is opening his own investigation into the Biden files. Jordan wants Attorney General Merrick Garland to share information about the DOJ probe. Jordan laid out his myriad concerns about Biden's treatment of sensitive records during his tenure as vice president in a three-page letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland. Jordan's swift action comes as the newly-empowered House GOP leaders plot an ambitious oversight agenda while rank-and-file members are giddily picking out impeachment targets. Jordan gave Garland until January 27 to provide the requested information.
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