- Written by Sam Cabral & Madeline Halpert
- BBC News from Houses of Parliament and New York
image source, Getty Images
Democrats who have spent time with Biden have defended him as sharp and focused.
Democrats are defending President Joe Biden after reports about his handling of classified documents raised concerns about his age and mental health.
Biden will not be charged with storing classified documents, but the report describes him as a “well-intentioned elderly person with a poor memory.”
Vice President Kamala Harris called the account “baseless, inaccurate and inappropriate.”
She also claimed that prosecutors were “clearly politically motivated.”
Robert Hur, an appointee of President Donald Trump who previously clerked for two prominent conservative judges, was appointed last year to lead Biden's classified documents investigation.
His selection by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland comes as the Justice Department faces criticism from Republicans over the appointment of a separate special counsel to investigate Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of top secret files. It was held in
But the report released by Heo included a letter from the White House asking him to revise his comments about the president's memory “within the scope of his expertise and authority.”
Harris, a former prosecutor, echoed that criticism at a news conference Friday.
“The characterization of the president's behavior in that report could not be more factually incorrect and was clearly politically motivated,” she said.
“When it comes to the role and responsibilities of prosecutors in such situations, a higher level of integrity should be expected.”
Democratic Party supporters in Parliament House also told the BBC they believed Mr Heo's comments were beyond the scope of the investigation.
“I think this was a completely inappropriate way to approach the special counsel's powers and the role of the special counsel,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
“It's unfortunate that we've strayed into very inappropriate territory.”
Tina Smith of Minnesota called Herr's comments “outrageous” and “despicable” and accused her of “blatantly politicizing” her role as special counsel.
Since beginning his reelection campaign, Biden has been dogged by concerns about his age and mental capacity.
At 81, he is just a few years older than the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump, 77.
The report did little to allay voters' concerns. In interviews with investigators, Biden claimed he could not remember when his son Beau died of cancer or when he served as vice president.
But Democrats speaking to the BBC on Friday said they remained not concerned about the president's mental capacity.
Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia summed up the takeaways from the report, saying, “No charges are recommended. An unusual commentary that departs from what is normally expected of a focused, substantive report. It's just noise.”
Ossoff, the youngest senator, stressed that he had spent “a significant amount of time” with the president in recent months.
“He proved to be sharp, focused, impressive, formidable and capable,” he said.
Mr. Ossoff's colleagues agreed, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who described the president as “thoughtful and experienced” at a news conference Friday.
He said Democrats maintain “absolute confidence” in the president. “We want to work with someone who understands what this country needs.”
Video: Biden responds to special counsel: 'I'm old and I know what I'm doing'
But some on both sides of the aisle said Mr. Hsu's observations reinforced the view that Mr. Biden was unfit for the presidency.
“He's trying to do his best, but I'm starting to worry about what's best for him,” North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis told the BBC.
“I don't care if you're 78 or 178. If you're going to be the leader of the free world, you have to fight 100 percent,” the moderate Republican said.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, told the BBC that concerns about Biden's age were a “perennial issue” for the re-election campaign.
Experts say polls show Trump faces less criticism from voters his own age, despite making similar gaffes to Biden on the campaign trail. are doing.
In recent months, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump have made a series of mistakes in public speeches, repeatedly mixing up the names of world leaders and U.S. politicians.
But Chris Borick, director of Muhlenberg College's Institute of Public Opinion, said Trump's bombastic style and “relentless aggressiveness” could contribute to the perception of him as a more energetic candidate. said.
Concerns about Trump's age “do not seem to be as persistent,” he said.
But for Biden, his campaign will have to focus on addressing the perception that he is mentally unfit for office.
“This report further exacerbates the seriousness of the situation.” [Biden’s] “He is working to overcome what is undoubtedly a significant obstacle to his campaign,” Bolick said.
