DOJ defends Special Counsel report on Biden's memory: 'Consistent with legal requirement,' not 'gratuitous'

The Justice Department defended Special Counsel Robert Hur's report on President Biden saying it was "consistent with legal requirements and Department policy" after the White House sent a pointed letter to the agency.

In the letter, obtained by Fox News, Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer defended the Hur report and its release to the public as being "consistent" with the DOJ's policy, and its legal requirements.

"Having carefully considered your arguments, the Department concludes that the report as submitted to the Attorney General, and its release, are consistent with legal requirements and Department policy," the letter, which was sent to White House Counsel Ed Siskel and Personal Counsel to Joe Biden Bob Bauer, said.

BIDEN, NOT SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, BROUGHT UP SON'S DEATH IN QUESTIONING

Weinsheimer noted that the fall-out surrounding the release of Hur's report on the president's memory was not "gratuitous" or "unduly prejudicial."

"The identified language is neither gratuitous nor unduly prejudicial because it is not offered to criticize or demean the President," the letter noted. "Rather, it is offered to explain Special Counsel Hur's conclusions about the President's state of mind in possessing and retaining classified information."

The associate deputy attorney general also pushed back against the White House's claims that the report "inappropriately commented" on Biden's conduct with classified documents.

"Your claim that Special Counsel Hur inappropriately commented on uncharged conduct is misplaced," Weinsheimer wrote. "As an initial matter, as described above, rather than commenting on uncharged conduct, Special Counsel Hur was applying the evidence he gathered to the applicable law."

KJP