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Former Special Counsel Robert Hur appeared to grow angry and defensive during his sworn congressional testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday when confronted by Democratic U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson over his motivations and aspirations in providing what some critics have characterized as lies about President Joe Biden.
Associated Press reporter Farnoush Amiri wrote Hur was “angry” and “on the defensive when Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, says the special counsel used his ‘report to trash and smear President Biden,’ to fit into a Republican narrative.”
During questioning Rep. Johnson asked Hur, “Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed you to serve as Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice to conduct a full and thorough investigation of certain matters to determine whether or not Joseph Biden should be charged with unlawfully removing and retaining classified documents. Isn’t that correct?”
“Correct,” Hur replied.
“And nowhere in that order does Attorney General Garland authorize you to conduct an investigation and issue a report on whether President Biden is mentally fit to serve as president, isn’t that correct?” Rep. Johnson continued.
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“That does not appear in the appointment order,” Hur replied.
“And pursuant to your appointment to conclude your investigation you issued a report that was published by Attorney General Garland, correct?” Johnson asked.
“He made it available to Congress, sir,” was Hur’s reply.
“And your report concluded that, after a full and thorough investigation, the evidence was insufficient to establish that President Biden had willfully retained classified documents. Isn’t that correct?” Johnson asked.
“My judgment was that based on the state of the evidence, a conviction at trial was not the probable outcome,” Hur tersely responded.
“And you determined that there was no evidence of willful retention because each time classified documents were discovered to be in the President’s possession, the White House notified the National Archives right away, the Biden legal team in the White House fully cooperated with the National Archives during the investigation, once the DOJ opened the investigation, President Biden and his personal counsel fully cooperated. Isn’t that correct?
“We did identify some evidence of willful retention and disclosure. But we also noted –” Hur began before Johnson interjected.
“The point is though that the President cooperated fully with you,” J0hnson added, asking, “They never tried to hide any documents from you, did they?”
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“The report does note steps of cooperation taken by the president,” Hur replied, growing more defensive.
“And last but not least, unlike in the Trump classified documents case, President Biden’s counsel never falsely certified that there was no classified documents in the President’s possession, correct?”
“The report does include some comparisons and contrasts between the facts alleged in the Trump case and the Biden case,” Hur stated.
“Despite clearing President Biden from being prosecuted, you use your report to trash and smear President Biden because he said in response to questions over a five-hour interview that he didn’t recall how he got the documents. And you knew that that would play into the Republicans’ narrative that the President is unfit for office because he’s senile, and the American people saw during the State of the Union address that that was not true,” J0hnson proffered. “But yet, that’s what you tried to offer to them. And that’s why they are having you here today, so that they can expand upon that narrative and you knew that that’s what was going to happen, didn’t you?”
“Congressman, I reject the suggestion,” Hur stridently replied. “That is not what happened.”
After both talked over each other, with Hur appearing angry and defensive, Johnson moved on and asked Hur if he is a member of the right wing Federalist Society. Hur said he was not. Asked if he is a Republican, Hur said, “I am a registered Republican.”
Yes, sir. And you’re doing everything you can do to get President Trump re-elected so that you can get appointed as a federal judge or perhaps to another position in the Department of Justice. Isn’t that correct?” Johnson asked.
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Congressman, I have no such aspirations, I can assure you, and I can tell you that partisan politics had no place whatsoever in my work,” Hur said. “It had no place that in the investigative steps that I took, it had no place in the decision that I made, and it had no place in a single word of my report.”
Watch a clip of the exchange below or at this link.
Wow — Rep. Hank Johnson to Hur: “You’re doing everything you can do to get President Trump reelected so that you can get appointed as a federal judge, or perhaps to another position in the Department of Justice. Isn’t that correct?”
Hur doesn’t like that question. pic.twitter.com/VGtvIGZxEU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 12, 2024
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