Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back against the criticism on Thursday White House officials and others which argued that special counsel Robert Hurn should not have allowed President Joe Biden to use language that suggested he was suffering from memory loss report on the president’s handover of classified documents.
In his report, Hur described Biden’s memory as “significantly limited” during interviews with the special counsel’s office last year, as well as with a ghost writer who worked on Biden’s memoir.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Garland questioned the criticism and said no one from the White House had told her about it.
“When the president announced my nomination, he told me directly, and then the American public, that he intended to restore the independence and integrity of the Justice Department and that he wanted me to act as an advocate for the American people. “The president’s lawyer,” Garland said. “I honestly believe he meant it then, and I honestly believe he means it now.”
Garland, who wondered whether Huron had used appropriate language to characterize Biden’s mental state, said he was committed to making the special counsel’s report public — stressing that it was “consistent” with the rules and precedents that require special counsel to fully disclose the grounds. behind their decisions.
Later, Garland opposed the idea that the attorney general should act to change the language in the special counsel’s report.
“The idea that the attorney general redacted, redacted or censored the special counsel’s explanation of why he came to the decision the special counsel made? This is absurd,” he said.
Hur came under fire from the White House and Democrats In response to a report last month about Biden’s handling of classified documents in his home and private office after becoming vice president. Hur declined to judge the president, but said in his report that his record withholding classified documents “poses serious risks to national security” and that Biden presented himself as a “sympathetic, well-intentioned older man with a failing memory.” interviews with investigators.
Republicans were quick to seize on Huron’s imagery.
Biden fiercely defended himself against Hur’s claims that he suffered from memory loss, telling reporters shortly after the release of the special counsel’s report. “My memory is good.”