Special counsel says Biden is ‘elderly man with poor memory’ and can’t recall when his son died

Special Counsel Robert Hur revealed in his report on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents that the president has a poor memory and at times could not recall when he was vice president or when his son, Beau Biden, died.

In his report, released on Thursday, Mr Hur declined to prosecute Mr Biden for his mishandling of classified documents – saying that though the president retained documents containing sensitive information, he was not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Mr Hur also included that if Mr Biden were to appear in front of a jury he would seem like a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”.

The special counsel said Mr Biden’s poor memory was evident during interviews and while listening to recorded conversations he had in writing his 2017 memoir Promise Me, Dad. Mr Hur said the president’s memory “appeared to have significant limitations”, mentioning his failure to recall specific dates or eras of his life.

“In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse. He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended («if it was 2013 — when did I stop being Vice President?»), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began («in 2009, am I still Vice President?»).”

“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him.”

President Joe Biden walks towards to the Marine One prior to a South Lawn departure from the White House on February 7, 2024 in Washington, DC

Mr Hur’s report comes after an approximately year-long investigation into Mr Biden’s handling of classified