Biden and the White House accused Hur of using Beau Biden to set him up. The media accused Republicans of "salivating" and "pouncing," and excoriated Hur for politiciizing the report. But not too long after that, leaks from those who saw the transcripts made it clear that Biden brought up Beau, not Hur. And Biden used him in the way Biden always uses Beau -- as a shield, a point ABC News confirms this morning after reading the transcripts:
During a line of questioning about Biden's activities after leaving the vice presidency in 2017, a period in which he was writing a book about the loss of his son, the president reminded investigators that Beau Biden's death weighed heavily on his decision to run for president.
In other words, Biden brought up [Beau] as an excuse for his actions, and as a way to get investigators to back off. As Biden later complained, the point was immaterial; Biden had classified material going back decades in his possession (illegally), much of it from his time in the Senate, long before either of his sons had any troubles. He kept it well after Beau's death, and as Hur pointed out in the report, was well aware of it and showed some of the material to his biographer long afterward. Beau's death was a bad attempt at playing the victim.
The Free Beacon's Andrew Kerr reports on Biden's inability to remember what year Trump ran for president, what year Beau died, and what year Biden left the Vice Presidency.
These dates are all relevant because Biden was trying to excuse his failure to return classified documents he'd collected like a hoarder for 30 years.
The transcript, a copy of which was reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon, shows Biden trying to connect his son Beau Biden's death with his decision to store classified records at the Penn Biden Center. Biden had to consult with his staff to remember the year his son died.
"Even though I'm at Penn, I hadn't walked away from the idea that I may run for office again. But if I ran again, I'd be running for President," Biden told Hur during his Oct. 8 interview. "And, and so what was happening, though--what month did Beau die? Oh, God, May 30th."
After a pause, White House attorney Rachel Cotton said Beau Biden died in 2015.
"Was it 2015 he had died?" Biden said. "It was 2015."
The transcript shows Biden mentioned his son's death unprompted, contradicting the president's claim during a Feb. 8 press conference that Hur raised the subject.
"How in the hell dare he raise that," Biden said.
Immediately after forgetting the year his son died during his interview with Hur, Biden misremembered when President Donald Trump was elected, asking his staff if his predecessor was elected in November 2017.
An unidentified speaker corrected the president, saying Trump was elected in 2016.
"2016. All right. So--why do I have 2017 here?" Biden responded.
At another point in the interview, Biden couldn't remember when he served as vice president. "Well, if it was 2013--when did I stop being vice president?"
Cotton had to remind Biden that he left the vice presidency in 2017.
MXMNews summarizes the transcript:
Discrepancies and Points of Interest
Handling and Acknowledgment of Classified Documents:
On the first day, there's an emphasis on Biden's occasional memory lapses and informal practices in handling classified documents, such as the possibility of taking classified materials to locations outside the White House, including his lake house.
The follow-up interview delves more into specifics, where Biden attempts to clarify his handling of classified documents, insisting on his practice of returning or not retaining documents that were classified, even if found after his vice presidency.
Memory Reliability:
Throughout the first interview, Biden exhibits uncertainty regarding specific instances of managing classified documents, often defaulting to a general practice or lack of recollection.
In other words, he cannot say what happened, but claims "I would usually do x" and suggests that Hur accept that he did x, because that's his general practice.
If Biden weren't suffering from such obvious dementia I would say this is an attempt to lie without actually committing perjury -- he is basically saying "accept that I did x" without ever testifying he did x.
But he can't remember anything, so this is probably real, and not just a ploy.
In contrast, the second day provides instances where Biden more confidently addresses procedures he would follow upon encountering classified materials post-presidency, though still marked by moments of unclear recollection.
The live testimony is ongoing. I'll post again about what comes out of the hearing later.