Biden furious after special counsel’s mental health questions: MAGA attacks

A report by the Justice Department’s special counsel raises serious questions about President Joe Biden’s mental acuity after he declined to prosecute for mishandling classified documents.

Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report prompted an angry response from the president, who hours later called on the public to accept a report that seemed to reinforce what many voters believe. In other words, at 81 years old, Biden is too old to run for a second term.

Mr. Biden spoke on television as his Republican opponents denounced the shocking portrait of Mr. Xu as a forgetful old man who can’t remember when his son died or when he was vice president.

“In an interview in our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was even worse. He didn’t remember when he was vice president and forgot that his term ended on the first day of the interview.” “If it was 2013, when would I have left the vice presidency?” President?”), the report said. “He didn’t remember when his son Beau died, even years later, and his memory was hazy when talking about the Afghanistan debate, which was once so important to him.”

newsweek The White House and Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign were contacted for comment via email.

Mr. Xu’s report on classified documents discovered at Mr. Biden’s home in Delaware and the Penn Biden Center office in Washington, D.C., was released Thursday. When news of the classified documents was made public in January 2023, Biden told reporters he was “surprised” by the discovery. Mr. Biden cooperated with the investigation, but given this, and the fact that it would likely be difficult to convict Mr. Biden, Mr. Hsu decided not to file criminal charges against the president.

“Mr. Biden will likely present himself to the jury as a sympathetic and well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory, just as he did when we interviewed him,” Hoar said in his report. .

Biden issued a statement Thursday saying he was “pleased” that no charges were filed.

“I cooperated fully and did not erect any obstacles or seek any delays,” Biden said. “Throughout my career in public service, I have always worked to keep America safe. I take these issues seriously, and no one has ever questioned that.”

Meanwhile, in a letter circulated online to Heo and Deputy Special Counsel Krickbaum, the White House said it “does not believe that the handling of the media coverage of President Biden’s memory is accurate or appropriate…In fact, There is sufficient evidence from the United States.” In your interview, the president spent five hours successfully answering your questions about events that happened many years ago. ”

Age and cognitive ability are major issues in this election campaign, as the Republican front-runner Trump is 77 years old and the Democratic incumbent Biden is 81. Critics on both sides have mocked Trump and Biden’s gaffes during their speeches. .

Republican lawmakers who support former President Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement on Thursday questioned Biden’s mental competency.

“If Joe Biden is not mentally fit to stand trial, he is certainly not mentally fit to be president of the United States,” Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said. , posted on former Twitter user X. “It’s time to do something about it.”

“Are they claiming he’s mentally incompetent to stand trial but competent enough to be president?” Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, posted on X.

“Robert Hur’s report today tells us two things: There is a double standard of justice in this country, and Joe Biden… is unfit for public office,” he wrote.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) shared excerpts from Xu’s report on Biden’s poor memory of “But it’s very clear to the American people. This is a really sad situation for America, where we have a president who is clearly not fit to be president.” ”

When asked for comment, Stefanik’s office said: newsweek They endorsed a joint statement by Stefanik and other members of the House Republican leadership.

“One of the most disturbing parts of this report is the special counsel’s justification for not recommending charges, namely that the president’s memory has very ‘significant limitations.’ “We were unable to convince a jury that the president was in a ‘willful state of mind’ that would have caused him to be involved in the crime,” the statement said. Some of them have been stated. “A person who is so incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly not suitable for the Oval Office.”

In remarks Thursday night, Biden insisted his “memory is good” and “not getting worse.”

The president also appeared emotional when his son was mentioned in Hsu’s report.

“He doesn’t need anyone to remind him that he’s gone,” Biden said. “Every year on Memorial Day, we hold a service in his memory attended by his friends, family, and those who loved him. ” “I don’t need anyone. I don’t need anyone to remind me when he’s gone.”

But Biden’s critics were quick to point out that he made a gaffe during a news conference in which he appeared to confuse Mexico and Egypt.

“As you know, Mexican President Sisi initially did not want to open the gates to allow humanitarian supplies to come in,” Biden said, referring to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi. .

“Biden confused Mexico and Egypt in a press conference where he was trying to convince people that he was mentally competent,” said Cenk Uyghur, host of the progressive news and commentary outlet Young Turks. I wrote about X. ”

newsweek We reached out to the Trump campaign and Greene’s office via email, and also called Jordan and Gooden’s offices for comment.

Updated 2/8/24, 6:43 PM ET: This article has been updated with comments from Stefanik’s office.

Updated Feb. 8, 24, 9:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comments from Biden’s evening speech.

Updated Feb. 8/24 at 9:40 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more comments from Biden’s evening speech.

Updated 2/8/24, 9:51 PM ET: This article has been updated to include social media posts from Cenk Uyghur.