House Republicans are gearing up for a prolonged period of questioning President Joe Biden’s age and mental capacities. They aim to cast doubt on the White House and Biden’s ability to seek reelection through hearings and testimonies.
According to sources close to House GOP leaders, these plans involve calling special counsel Robert Hur to testify. Hur’s decision not to charge the president in the documents case was based, in part, on Biden’s mental state, making his testimony critical for the Republicans’ agenda.
To further their cause, House committee chairs James Comer (Oversight and Accountability), Jason Smith (Ways and Means), and Jim Jordan (Judiciary) have written a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, demanding records and documents related to Hur’s interview with the president. The chairs argue that this information is crucial to their ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden’s mishandling of classified information regarding his family’s international business dealings.
The House GOP seeks to shed light on how the storage of sensitive documents may have jeopardized national security. Special counsels often testify when their reports are concluded, as noted by Garland in an interview last October. Democrats, however, are expected to challenge Hur’s credibility due to his appointment by former President Donald Trump, who was Biden’s opponent in the November general election.
While Hur has received praise from Democrats for his professionalism in the past, Biden’s team has pushed back against his findings. Age-related concerns have also arisen among top Democrats, as Biden would be in office until 86 if he were to win a second term.
The president’s occasional gaffes have further fueled these concerns. During a recent news conference addressing Hur’s allegations, Biden mistakenly referred to the presidents of Egypt and Mexico, highlighting the issue of his mental acuity.
House Republicans anticipate Hur’s testimony to occur before the House Judiciary Committee, where questions about Biden’s fitness to lead will likely arise. The hearing would focus not only on Biden’s document storage and national security risks but also on the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation.
However, Republicans may encounter a backlash from their inquiry due to former President Trump’s ongoing legal battle involving 32 felony counts related to document retention in Florida. Critics argue that this focus on Biden’s age and mental state could draw attention away from Trump’s potential criminal guilt, which they consider his primary vulnerability in the election.
Meanwhile, there is a possibility that the administration will release a redacted transcript of Biden’s interview with Hur, providing some transparency into the matter. Ian Sams, the White House spokesman on investigations, hinted at this development last week.
