US President Biden ‘pleased’ with special counsel findings
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: US President Joe Biden says he is “pleased” with the special counsel’s findings that cleared him from criminal charges and emphasised his cooperation which was a stark contrast to his predecessor's Donald Trump’s case.
The context: The special counsel sought to investigate whether Biden improperly handled sensitive government documents which raised questions about his mental acuity and age. The report findings today cleared Biden of criminal charges as special counsel Robert Hur said Biden cooperated and would be difficult to convict. He described Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”.
During an impromptu White House news conference today, Biden said his “memory is fine” but then mistakenly referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the leader of Mexico.
Biden also stressed that the report found several material distinctions between his case and Trump’s case that revolved around his role in the January 6 Capitol attack and mishandling over government records.
What they said: “I’m well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been President, and I’ve put this country back on his feet. I don’t need his recommendation,” Biden said
“...I was especially pleased to see special counsel make clear the stark distinction and difference between this case and Mr. Trump's case.”
Biden pointed to the special counsel’s report that said there were “several material distinctions between Mr. Trump's case and Mr. Biden's are clear…most notably after given multiple chances to return classified documents, to avoid prosecution Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite”.
“According to the indictment, he not only refused to return the documents for many months. He also obstructed justice by enlisting others to destroy evidence and then to lie about it,” it said.
“In contrast…Mr. Biden turned in classified documents to the National Archives and the Department of Justice, consented to the search of multiple locations including his home, sat for voluntary interview, and in other ways cooperated with the investigation.”
Biden noted: “I've seen the headlines since the report was released about my willful retention of documents. These assertions are not only misleading, they're just plain wrong".
