How Biden and his allies are rebutting the special counsel’s claims about his memory

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’s Democratic allies are mounting an aggressive defense against a special prosecutor’s explosive accusation that the 81-year-old president cannot remember major milestones in his life, seeking to downplay prosecutors’ accusations that Biden was too The importance of forgetfulness. Charged with mishandling confidential material.

Hours after the release of special counsel Robert Hull’s report, Biden set an angry tone, rejecting the report’s conclusions about his memory and insisting he had not forgotten the year his son Beau died, as That’s what Hull claimed. Democrats on Capitol Hill and across the country quickly followed suit.

“Republicans saying Biden is old is the least surprising thing in American politics,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. “That’s all they have.”

Democrats plan to answer widespread questions about the 81-year-old president’s age and readiness by affirming Biden’s ability to serve as commander-in-chief and seeking to discredit those who paint him as weak. Key to the strategy is a stark contrast to former President Donald Trump, the 77-year-old Republican front-runner who also mixed up names and facts while facing four prosecutions and multiple multi-million dollar civil judgments.

Signs of support are crucial for Biden as he prepares for a close election against Trump. Even before the report was released, concerns were growing that the coalition that helped elect Biden in 2020 was fraying, making it even more important for Biden to get as many supporters as possible firmly on his side.

The Biden campaign circulated talking points obtained by The Associated Press to allies. Talking points mention that Houle, who served as U.S. attorney during the Trump administration, was a “MAGA-appointed attorney, but there was no case, so he decided to attack the president personally.” This was a nod to the Trump political movement Make America Great Again mention.

Talking points also emphasized that Hoole is “a lawyer, not a doctor, so people should accept his legal conclusions and ignore his political views.”

The White House also pointed to Biden’s cooperation with Hull, who rejected charges that he illegally withheld classified documents, while Trump faces prosecution in Florida after the FBI seized records from his Mar-a-Lago resort.

“The characterization of the president’s conduct in this report is completely false and clearly politically motivated and unjustifiable,” Vice President Kamala Harris said on Friday. “What I’m saying is that when it comes to prosecutorial We should expect a higher level of prosecutorial integrity than what we see when it comes to the prosecutor’s role and responsibilities in this situation.”

Anger spread to South Carolina, where Biden scored a landslide victory in the nation’s first Democratic primary on February 3 and his campaign aimed to show clear strength. Some viewed Biden’s forceful response to the special counsel as a hopeful sign.

“I firmly believe this will bring out the best in the president. It shows what a fighter he is,” said LaJoia Broughton, 42, a small business owner in Colombia who voted for Biden in the primary .

Biden aides said they do not expect the president or his campaign to address the age issue more directly. They can’t make Biden younger, noting that age-related attacks on the president also persisted four years ago when Trump labeled him “Sleepy Joe.”

Instead, they plan to borrow a blueprint from the 2020 campaign and argue that many voters don’t want a repeat of Trump’s tumultuous period in the White House. They also plan to highlight Biden’s achievements and an economy that continues to show strength.

“The president has said that age is a fair issue in the minds of voters, but if you’re an independent or aspirational voter across the country and you’re worried about your child facing gun violence in school, the prospect of abortion nationwide,” Biden said. “Whether it’s a ban or the future of our democracy, you might think about the president’s age, but ultimately the choice is easy,” said Kate Berner, the former White House deputy director of communications. “Donald Trump is on the wrong side of all of these issues. “

Some Democrats are not so optimistic.

“It’s a distraction. When you’re running a presidential campaign, you don’t like distractions,” said Jim Messina, who led former President Barack Obama’s last campaign.

Messina compared the special counsel’s report to statements made in October 2016 by then-FBI Director James Comey, who said he was further investigating Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. )’s handling of confidential emails while serving as Secretary of State. Comey’s announcement 11 days before the election was blamed for helping Trump defeat Clinton.

In this case, this week’s report comes nine months before Election Day on November 5

“There’s plenty of time to get it all done,” Messina said. “Trump has all the trials coming up. I would be surprised if this issue comes up in a month.”

Still, Trump’s allies have become bolder this week.

In addition to celebrating the release of the special counsel’s embarrassing profile of Biden, Trump also won a new batch of delegates in Thursday’s Nevada caucuses, where he ran unopposed.

“We all know Joe Biden is old. What is overlooked is that Joe Biden is a criminal who puts America’s national security at risk,” Donald Trump Jr. said in highlighting the new report’s numerous one of the messages read.

Biden fundraiser Barry Goodman of Michigan said he had some donors “taking a wait-and-see attitude” about supporting Biden even before the special counsel was announced.

“They wanted to see if anyone else would join, or if Trump would drop out — but no one else joined,” Goodman said. “Of everyone I talk to, some are more excited than others.”

Still, Goodman said the report did not sway his support for Biden.

Trav Robertson, the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, called the report an obvious political liability for Biden. But he directly accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of allowing the report to include comments about the president’s age, memory and cognitive function.

“Merrick Garland is not doing his job and will only allow Trump appointees to make political statements to divert Trump’s attention,” Robertson said. He added, “Donald Trump cannot live without Holding a glass of water to his mouth with both hands, because he is old. “

Indeed, Biden’s allies are eager to highlight the apparent double standard, as Biden’s gaffes receive more attention than those of other major politicians.

Trump has repeatedly confused former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., with Republican rival Nikki Haley in recent weeks. Of course, Biden didn’t do himself any favors Thursday night when he referred to the Egyptian leader as Mexico’s president.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., a former U.S. attorney, said “people feel it’s clearly unfair” to focus on Biden’s gaffe and said the special counsel’s investigation into Biden’s mental health The assessment is “inappropriate” and “inappropriate”. ” and “shameful.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., noted that even House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has recently confused Iran with Israel.

“Who cares?” Garcia said of the gaffes. “The president is going to win. I’m very confident about it. The bottom line is he’s going to be running against a criminal who has been indicted 91 times.”

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The People reported from New York. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow and Ayanna Alexander in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from Yonhap News Agency-The Associated Press)