Gaetz Blasts Hur’s Decision Not To Charge ‘Senile’ Biden

Former Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur managed to evoke bipartisan backlash with his report finding that, although President Joe Biden took classified documents with him from his terms in prior offices, he should not face an indictment due to his advanced age and spotty memory.

As Hur concluded in his report, “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.”

Hur sought to defend his report during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee this week, including during his opening remarks on Tuesday.

The dichotomy between former President Donald Trump, who was charged with mishandling classified documents, and Biden’s ability to escape an indictment was not lost on Republican lawmakers.

“The fact that the only person being prosecuted for this offense happens to be the president’s political opponent makes this an unprecedented assault on our democracy,” asserted Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA).

Hur was also forced to acknowledge the sheer number of places where investigators found classified documents stashed.

One of the liveliest exchanges came when Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) had an opportunity to question Hur and focused on highlighting the president’s misleading statements about the scandal.

“Joe Biden said, ‘I guarantee I did not share classified information,’” Gaetz began. “That’s not true, is it?”

Hur acknowledged that it was “inconsistent with the findings” of his investigation.

“Joe Biden said, ‘All the classified documents were in lockable filing cabinets,’” Gaetz continued, prompting Hur to again concede that his probe found otherwise.

The Florida Republican noted that classified documents were located, among other places, in “a damaged open box” inside Biden’s garage.

“You find in your report that the elements of a federal criminal violation are met, but then you apply this senile cooperator theory that because Joe Biden cooperated and the elevator didn’t go to the top floor, you don’t think you’d get a conviction,” Gaetz concluded.

For his part, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who on the same day announced his impending exit from the House, told Hur: “What I’ve observed in this hearing is that one side thinks you’re trying to get Trump elected and the other side thinks you’re trying to get President Biden elected. Welcome to Congress.”