After concluding his probe of President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, former Special Counsel Robert Hur issued findings that Biden said a jury would see the president as an "elderly man with a poor memory" and would not be prosecuted in part because his memory issues would make him difficult to convict.
That comment sparked a serious outcry among Democrats, who claimed Hur overstepped his authority in his report, which also included claims Biden couldn't remember when his son died.
Now, newly released transcripts of portions of the interview are getting attention on social media ahead of Hur's scheduled congressional testimony on his findings.
The transcripts revealed that Biden made car noises during the interviews—once when complaining about his vintage Corvette's performance and once when praising the torque of electric vehicles.
In the latter instance, Hur attempted to steer the interview back to the topic at hand, but Biden nonetheless continued.
"You step your foot on the accelerator all the way down until it gets about six, seven grand,” Biden said. “Then all the sudden it will say ‘launch.’ All you do is take your foot off the brake.”
According to the transcript, Biden then "makes car sound" and laughs.
"It’s on my bucket list," Hur replied before getting back on track.
The exchange prompted a number of jokes online, with one X user writing, "Biden go *vroom* *vroom*"
"He’s a car guy they all make that noise," said someone else.
Another exchange that garnered attention from Biden's supporters was his witty response when asked by Hur what Biden called the front-office staff during his vice presidency.
"I guess I'll call them front-office staff," Hur said about his forthcoming line of questioning. "Is that an accurate description of them?"
"I never did, but sure," Biden responded.
"Okay. Well, what did you call them?" Hur asked.
"By their first names," Biden replied, adding moments later he wasn't being "facetious."
One Democratic strategist on X highlighted the exchange, commenting, "My biggest takeaway from the Robert Hur transcript is that Biden is pretty funny."
Hur's report originally came with his bombshell conclusion that Biden was unable to remember when his son Beau Biden died from cancer, though the transcripts appear to somewhat challenge that characterization.
"What month did Beau die? Oh God—May 30th," Biden says. A White House lawyer adds, "2015."
"Was it 2015 he had died?" the president then asked before quickly getting confirmation from someone in the room. Biden then said, "It was 2015."
The transcripts also show Biden mistaking what year his vice presidency ended and when former President Donald Trump was elected, as well as forgetting the term "fax machine" twice and mistakes Iraq and Afghanistan for Iran.
Biden supporters claimed the transcript was vindicated.
"Reading the transcript it seems obvious that Biden was not as demented as Robert Hur made him out to be. Seems like a normal interview actually," wrote former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger. "Way to go GOP, you’re about to be embarrassed again."
"Not sure if you have all read the Robert Hur transcript but President Biden seems engaged, goes into incredible detail, tells numerous stories, and is clear headed over two rigorous days of interviews," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). "House Republican once again have nothing and are wasting our time."
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, is leading the push in Congress to investigate Biden's handling of classified documents.
Comer on Tuesday blasted the release of the transcripts as "not coincidental" ahead of Hur's testimony, and argued that "from what we have seen, it is clear why the White House did not want Special Counsel Hur’s final report to be released."
"The White House has refused to be transparent with the American people about the President’s mishandling of classified documents," Comer said. "And worse, they have appeared to have lied: about the timeline, about who handled the documents, and even about the contents of President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Hur. That is why today’s hearing is important."
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