House Republicans have issued a subpoena to the Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding the release of the transcript and recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur. [Source]
The special counsel’s report, which emerged earlier in February, shed light on a five-hour dialogue between President Biden and Robert Hur, meticulously conducted over October 8-9.
Within this report, Hur pointedly remarked on the president’s “declining mental state,” highlighting instances where Biden ostensibly struggled to recall significant personal and political milestones.
“He appeared to forget when his vice presidency began and ended as well as the date of his late son’s death,” the report elucidates, painting a concerning picture of the president’s cognitive faculties.
In a concerted effort led by the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, a letter was dispatched to Attorney General Merrick Garland, marking the formal issuance of the subpoena.
The committees, previously thwarted in their request for the transcript’s release by the stipulated February 19 deadline, are now intensifying their investigative endeavors.
The letter explicitly states, “The Oversight and Judiciary Committees, in coordination with the Ways and Means Committee, are investigating whether sufficient grounds exist to draft articles of impeachment against President Biden for consideration by the full House.”
“The Committees further seek to understand whether the White House or President Biden’s personal attorneys placed any limitations or scoping restrictions during the interviews with Special Counsel Hur or Mr. Mark Zwonitzer precluding or addressing any potential statements directly linking President Biden to troublesome foreign payments.”
The heart of the investigation seeks to unravel whether the White House or Biden’s personal attorneys imposed any “limitations or scoping restrictions” that might have influenced the breadth and depth of Hur’s inquiry, particularly regarding “troublesome foreign payments.”
The White House has decried Hur’s characterizations of Biden as “gratuitous” and challenged their veracity.
Critics advocate for the transcript’s publication, arguing that it would substantiate the White House’s defense. Yet, an attorney for Biden has remained noncommittal on the matter of releasing the interview’s transcript and recordings. [Source]
Adding to the controversy are revelations from the FBI’s discovery of documents pertaining to U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan and personal notebook entries on sensitive national security matters at Biden’s Delaware residence.
This discovery and Biden’s subsequent press conference aimed at quelling age-related concerns only fueled further scrutiny. During the conference, Biden endeavored to deflect responsibility onto his staff for the mishandling of classified documents, simultaneously revealing a mix-up between the presidents of Egypt and Mexico.
Biden’s emotional response to questions about his late son, Beau, and subsequent attempts by his allies to cast Hur as a partisan figure, have only intensified the political drama surrounding the investigation.
Robert Hur is expected to testify before Congressional Republicans next month.