The Campaign to Whitewash the Robert Hur Transcript

Special counsel Robert Hur has made himself an enemy of the national political press for the offense of telling the truth about Joe Biden’s failing memory. Hur cited Biden’s age and poor memory as a chief basis for not prosecuting Biden mishandling national-security documents while out of office — the same sorts of mishandling that resulted in Jack Smith bringing three dozen felony charges against Donald Trump. He’s being assailed for partisanship in releasing a report detailing his findings, analysis, and conclusions — assailed by all the same people who lauded the Mueller report’s findings, analysis, and conclusions, and who assure us that it is offensive to even raise the possibility of partisanship or bias on the part of Smith or David Weiss or elected Democrats Alvin Bragg and Fani Willis. Yet, as even Glenn Thrush at the New York Times conceded, Mr. Hur, a registered Republican who has steered clear of partisan politics during a two-decade career as a prosecutor, was chosen, in part, because of his reputation for calmly handling the pressure of high-wire investigations and internal department politics.”

While the tape recordings of Hur’s interview with Biden have not been released, we now have two transcripts. The spin machine is in overdrive. Matt Viser at the Washington Post: “Full transcript of Biden’s special counsel interview paints nuanced portrait — The president doesn’t seem as absent-minded as Hur has made him out to be — and Hur doesn’t appear as crass as Biden has portrayed him.” (Democrats entered that article into evidence at today’s hearing, reading aloud only that title and subtitle.) The Times: “How the Special Counsel’s Portrayal of Biden’s Memory Compares With the Transcript — The special counsel, Robert K. Hur, accused the president last month of ‘significant’ memory problems. The interview transcript offers context to his report.”

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

Featured Tags

Special counsel Robert Hur has made himself an enemy of the national political press for the offense of telling the truth about Joe Biden’s failing memory. Hur cited Biden’s age and poor memory as a chief basis for not prosecuting Biden mishandling national-security documents while out of office — the same sorts of mishandling that resulted in Jack Smith bringing three dozen felony charges against Donald Trump. He’s being assailed for partisanship in releasing a report detailing his findings, analysis, and conclusions — assailed by all the same people who lauded the Mueller report’s findings, analysis, and conclusions, and who assure us that it is offensive to even raise the possibility of partisanship or bias on the part of Smith or David Weiss or elected Democrats Alvin Bragg and Fani Willis. Yet, as even Glenn Thrush at the New York Times conceded, Mr. Hur, a registered Republican who has steered clear of partisan politics during a two-decade career as a prosecutor, was chosen, in part, because of his reputation for calmly handling the pressure of high-wire investigations and internal department politics.”

While the tape recordings of Hur’s interview with Biden have not been released, we now have two transcripts. The spin machine is in overdrive. Matt Viser at the Washington Post: “Full transcript of Biden’s special counsel interview paints nuanced portrait — The president doesn’t seem as absent-minded as Hur has made him out to be — and Hur doesn’t appear as crass as Biden has portrayed him.” (Democrats entered that article into evidence at today’s hearing, reading aloud only that title and subtitle.) The Times: “How the Special Counsel’s Portrayal of Biden’s Memory Compares With the Transcript — The special counsel, Robert K. Hur, accused the president last month of ‘significant’ memory problems. The interview transcript offers context to his report.”