A transcript of a special counsel’s hourslong interview of President Biden over his handling of classified files shows that on several occasions the president fumbled with dates and the sequence of events, while otherwise appearing clearheaded.
A lightly redacted copy of the transcript, which is more than 250 pages and was reviewed by The New York Times, was sent to Congress hours before the special counsel, Robert K. Hur, testified on Tuesday in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Democrats on the panel later released the document.
In a report released last month, Mr. Hur concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Biden with a crime after classified documents ended up in an office he used after his vice presidency and in his home in Delaware. But the report also portrayed Mr. Biden, 81, as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” touching off a political furor amid his re-election campaign.
Mr. Biden’s lawyers, who were present for five hours of questioning over two days, have challenged the damaging portrait by Mr. Hur, a former Trump administration official. But the transcript had not been publicly available to evaluate Mr. Hur’s assessment that Mr. Biden’s memory has “significant limitations.”
Here are some highlights:
Mr. Biden repeatedly said he did not recall or know certain details.
In trying to determine whether Mr. Biden had willfully retained certain classified documents, Mr. Hur repeatedly pressed him for details, like where and how his staff stored classified documents, who packed up when his vice presidency ended and where particular files had gone.
What Older Americans Say About Age and LeadershipWe asked readers whether they thought the ages of President Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77, affected their ability to be president. “The world is changing too rapidly (in dangerous ways). It is time to put egos aside and let a new generation of leaders move us forward.” — Christopher Hardwick, 66, Edgewater, Md., independent “It is perfectly normal to forget names and words at this age, but I do not believe that this renders one incapable of governing or disrupts one’s thinking rationally.” — Kathleen Young, 80, Longmont, Colo., registered Democrat “I worked a 45-year career in nuclear power plant operation, which is a highly critical, mentally challenging occupation. In my opinion, they are both too old. There should be an age limit on U.S. presidents.” — Kevin Robinson, 65, Lincolnton, N.C., registered Republican “I’ll make it to 70 this year. I’m not concerned about their ages. I’m concerned about their ability to think through complex situations and apply judgment in the best interest of the people of the United States.” — Ken Lawler, 69, Alpharetta, Ga., nonpartisan “I’ll be 70 on my next birthday. I think people need to stop being presidents at the age of 70.” — Kathi Sweetman, 69, Rochester, N.Y., unaffiliated “I am 76 years old and I believe that age doesn’t matter if a person keeps themselves in good mental and physical condition. I think age is a positive if a person has learned from their past experiences.” — Greg White, 76, Cobden, Ill., registered Democrat
Mr. Biden, who has denied wrongdoing, repeatedly demurred, saying he did not recall or had no idea how his staff handled such matters, and observing that there was “a continuum of a lot of these people” who assisted with those tasks.
He also said he did not recall seeing the most sensitive files investigators found — concerning the Afghanistan war that were in a tattered cardboard box in his garage in Delaware, along with a jumble of unrelated materials — and did not know how they got there.
“I don’t remember how a beat-up box got in the garage,” he said, speculating that someone packing up must have just tossed stuff into it. He added that he had “no goddamn idea” what was in a tranche of files shipped to his house and “didn’t even bother to go through them.”
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