Prosecutor defends Biden ‘poor memory’ discussion in documents report

WASHINGTON: The US prosecutor who sparked a political firestorm last month with a report saying President Joe Biden had a “poor memory” defended his assessment on Tuesday, saying it was needed for his probe of the president’s handling of classified documents.

Former US Special Counsel Robert Hur spoke to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which has been one of the panels conducting an impeachment inquiry into Biden, 81.

“My assessment in the report about the relevance of the President’s memory was necessary and accurate and fair,” Hur said in his opening statement. “I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly. I explained to the Attorney General my decision and the reasons for it. That’s what I was required to do.”

Hur, the former top federal prosecutor in Maryland, declined to bring criminal charges against Biden after a months-long investigation into classified documents found at Biden’s personal home and former office.

Hur, a Republican, said Biden’s memory and state of mind were relevant to his conclusions about whether Biden knowingly retained sensitive information.

The report concluded that “ Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”