From Taylor Swift’s rumored fling with Travis Kelce to the perplexing decision by top executives at Mars to alter the iconic M&M candies, there’s a myriad of topics that never fail to incense right-wing conservatives.
However, one issue that undoubtedly ignites their ire is the recent announcement regarding the decision not to prosecute President Joe Biden over his handling of classified documents.
On Thursday, Robert Hur, the special counsel appointed by the Justice Department to oversee the matter, released a report stating that “no criminal charges are warranted” against Biden concerning his management of classified material following his tenure as vice president in early 2017.
Joe Biden (Credits: The Hills)
Despite acknowledging that Biden retained classified documents pertaining to Afghanistan and notebooks containing entries implicating sensitive intelligence sources and methods, Hur concluded that “the evidence does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” This conclusion is bound to trigger a storm of outrage among right-wing circles.
This decision draws stark contrast with the situation involving former President Donald Trump, who is currently facing prosecution for his handling of classified documents and is scheduled to stand trial in May.
Trump is confronting 32 counts of willfully retaining national defense materials and eight counts related to alleged obstruction of justice, offenses that could potentially land him in prison for decades. It’s unlikely that the Trump camp, along with their allies in conservative media, will acknowledge the glaring disparities between these two cases.
Aside from accusations of unfairness and double standards, Hur’s report is likely to provoke further controversy due to specific claims he made.
According to The New York Times:
“While Mr. Hur decided not to prosecute Mr. Biden, some of his reasons for doing so are likely to raise new questions about the president’s conduct and his mental state, portraying him as unable in interviews to remember key dates of his own vice presidency—and even precisely when his son Beau had died. ‘Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview with him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,’ Mr. Hur wrote.”
It’s anyone’s guess how many times Fox News will repeat the phrase “elderly man with a poor memory” in the next 24 hours, but it’s safe to assume it will be a frequent refrain.
In response, Richard Sauber, a special counsel for Biden, stated, “We disagree with a number of inaccurate and inappropriate comments in the special counsel’s report. Nonetheless, the most important decision the special counsel made—that no charges are warranted—is firmly based on the facts and evidence.”
The special counsel’s decision to delve into Biden’s mental state may raise eyebrows, but in the current political climate, such discussions are not entirely unexpected.
