Audio released of Biden interview with special counsel who described him as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory’

Audio of then-President Joe Biden’s interrogation with erstwhile peculiar counsel Robert Hur successful the now-closed probe implicit Biden’s handling of classified documents was published by Axios connected Friday.

The interrogation became 1 of the astir notable and politically arguable parts of Hur’s investigation, which concluded determination wasn’t capable grounds to complaint Biden with transgression mishandling of records aft his vice presidency. In a last report, Hur called Biden, 81 astatine the time, “a sympathetic, well-meaning, aged antheral with a mediocre memory.”

While transcripts of Biden’s interrogation with Hur became nationalist past year, these excerpts are the archetypal audio signaling of the interrogation to surface.

An authoritative with the Department of Justice has confirmed the tapes’ authenticity to CNN.

A Biden spokeswoman, Kelly Scully, told CNN, “The transcripts were released by the Biden medication much than a twelvemonth ago. The audio does thing but corroborate what is already public.”

The audio comes arsenic questions astir Biden’s carnal and intelligence capabilities person returned to the spotlight. A forthcoming publication – “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson – details signs of Biden’s diminution portion successful office.

Biden sat for interviews with Hur for 5 hours implicit a two-day span successful the autumn of 2023 arsenic portion of the peculiar counsel’s probe into his handling of classified materials.

In one, astir four-and-a-half-minute clip published by Axios, Biden was asked wherever helium kept papers connected matters helium was “actively working” connected aft leaving bureau arsenic vice president successful 2017. Biden took a agelong intermission and said, “I don’t know,” and past went connected to speech astir seemingly unrelated things that happened during that clip period, specified arsenic radical encouraging him to tally for president successful 2016. He besides had occupation remembering erstwhile his eldest son, Beau, died, and needed confirmation from those successful the room.

“What period did Beau die,” Biden asked earlier taking a pause. “Oh, God, May 30th…”

Two radical finished the then-president’s sentence: “2015.”

“Was it 2015 helium had died?” Biden questioned.

In a 2nd clip from Axios, Biden, erstwhile asked whether helium knew that helium had kept a memo related to Afghanistan, archetypal said, “I don’t cognize that I knew. But erstwhile pressed further, Biden said, “I conjecture I wanted to bent onto it conscionable for posterity’s sake.”

Shortly after, 1 idiosyncratic from Biden’s squad interjected and attempted to clarify the president’s answer.

“I conscionable truly would similar to debar for the intent of a cleanable record, getting into speculative areas,” the idiosyncratic said, adding, “His recollection, arsenic I recognize it, is helium does not callback specifically intending to support this memo aft helium near the vice presidency.”

In February of past year, Hur declined to bring charges against Biden, but successful a last study said the erstwhile president “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials.” The much politically damaging portion of Hur’s findings came successful his characterization of the president arsenic a “well-meaning, aged antheral with a mediocre memory,” 1 who would apt triumph implicit a assemblage if helium faced prosecution.

Biden and his allies fiercely disputed Hur’s characterization arsenic inaccurate and unfair, including pushing backmost connected the peculiar counsel raising that helium didn’t retrieve erstwhile his eldest lad Beau died successful his report.

House Republicans sought records relating to the interview, including transcripts and audio recordings, successful their long-running impeachment probe into Biden, which yet fizzled out.

The Justice Department provided a transcript of the interrogation to Congress, but Biden asserted enforcement privilege implicit the audio recordings. House Republicans voted to clasp then-Attorney General Merrick Garland successful contempt for refusing to crook implicit the recordings, but the Justice Department declined to prosecute contempt charges astatine the time.

On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters Attorney General Pam Bondi and her squad would find whether the audio should beryllium released.

“That’s up to Pam [Bondi] and the group. I haven’t truly looked into,” helium said earlier departing Abu Dhabi. “Everybody understands the information of him. I cognize radical that are 89, 90, 92, 93 years aged and are virtually perfect. But Joe was not 1 of them, and they did a batch of hiding. They were they were truly playing games. And, you know, you can’t bash that. Our country’s astatine stake.”

Top Democrats, including respective imaginable 2028 contenders, person faced questions astir the caller revelations successful Tapper and Thompson’s forthcoming book, including whether they knew of the erstwhile president’s decline. The caller circular of scrutiny comes arsenic the enactment is anxious to determination past the 2024 predetermination and absorption connected waging a much forceful absorption to Trump.

Biden’s squad has pushed backmost connected the book’s claims. “We proceed to await thing that shows wherever Joe Biden had to marque a statesmanlike determination oregon wherever nationalist information was threatened oregon wherever helium was incapable to bash his job. In fact, the grounds points to the other – helium was a precise effectual president,” a spokesperson for Biden told CNN.

In an interrogation connected ABC’s “The View” past week, Biden, present 82-years-old, defended his clip successful bureau and pushed backmost connected claims helium experienced important cognitive diminution portion successful office.

“They are wrong,” Biden said past week. “There is thing to prolong that.”

This communicative has been updated with further details.

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