Special counsel Robert Hur faced deep questioning Tuesday about his report into President Biden‘s handling of classified information, but he had few answers.
Hur testified for several hours about the February report, which came following the discovery of classified documents at President Biden’s Delaware home. In Hur’s report, he noted that the president struggled to remember key dates and information — such as the death of his son Beau Biden — but that he is a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” While the White House and Democrats blasted the report, calling it “gratuitous” and “inflammatory” and denying that the president has any memory issues, Republicans seized on the report to bolster their belief that Biden is unfit for second term.
The Department of Justice did not recommend charges against Biden.
But Hur, who was appointed by Trump, testified that his report did not “exonerate” Biden as some Democrats claimed, though his probe didn’t lead to charges.
“The report is not an exoneration,” he said. “That word does not appear in my report.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) argued the special counsel’s investigation “resulted in a complete exoneration of President Joe Biden.”
“I need to go back and make sure that I take note of a word that you used, ‘exoneration.’ That is not a word that appears in the report,” Hur replied.
Meanwhile, Democrats used clips of former President Trump‘s memory lapses to take the heat off Biden.
More from The Hill here. |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Liz Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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🎤 A California Democrat marked Women’s History Month with a tribute on the House floor to “one of the most influential Latin artists of all time,” singer Selena Quantanilla, a Mexican-American artist who was shot and killed by her former manager in 1995.
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📺 An anti-Trump Republican group is planning to spend $50 million in a campaign to stop the former president from winning a second term in the White House.
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🇺🇦 The Biden administration says it will send Ukraine a $300 million emergency military aid package — the first such weapons tranche Washington has sent since late December.
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Primary schedule rolls on as Biden, Trump have nods
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Democrats abroad and voters in Georgia, Hawaii, and Mississippi are heading to the polls in their primary elections today. Democrats in the Northern Mariana Islands also voted today, with results having come in earlier Tuesday. President Biden and former President Trump are both expected to cross the thresholds of getting enough delegates Tuesday from the states to secure their party nominationsTueay. Trump’s last major rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, dropped out of the race after Super Tuesday. Biden does not face any major challengers.
Check in with The Hill / Decision Desk HQ for updates on the races. |
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Buck: Up and out; Colorado lawmaker plots retirement
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The GOP’s narrow edge in the House is shrinking: Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) plans to retire from Congress next week, he announced Tuesday. Buck — who has broken from his party on a number of issues including former President Trump‘s unfounded claims about the 2020 election — previously said that he would leave the House at the end of this year, but he has expedited the departure with his announcement this week.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Colorado’s 4th District in Congress for the past nine years. I want to thank them for their support and encouragement throughout the years,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado with my family.” (The Hill)
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RNC cleans house after Trump takeover
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A new leadership team has taken over at the Republican National Committee, and now the cuts are coming.
According to reports more than 60 people have been fired, including senior staff in political, data and communications departments, as former North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley and former President Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump take the helm.
Chief operating officer Sean Cairncross said in a statement to The Associated Press that, “Whatley is in the process of evaluating the organization and staff to ensure the building is aligned with his vision of how to win in November.” |
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Slow your roll: PETA urges White House to top using eggs at Easter
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is urging the White House swap eggs for potatoes at the annual Easter Egg Roll this year.
In a letter to first lady Jill Biden this week, PETA said it wants to “respectfully suggest” a way to update the White House Easter Egg Roll, which will take place April 1 on the White House’s South Lawn.
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in the letter to the Biden administration that a “potato roll” wouldn’t “exploit any sentient beings and would encourage empathy and kindness to animals while supporting potato farmers in the U.S.” (The Hill)
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“Bitter rivals Tucker Carlson and Chris Cuomo give viewers something no one expected: a civil conversation,” writes Jeffrey M. McCall, media critic and professor of communication at DePauw University.
“Israel’s real goal must be to deradicalize Gaza, not just to demilitarize it,” writes Gadi Ezra, former director of the National Public Diplomacy Unit, and Aviva Klompas, former director of speechwriting at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations. |
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125 days until the Republican National Convention.
160 days until the Democratic National Convention. 237 days until the 2024 general election. |
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House Republicans, who have had a tumultuous year, will kick off their annual legislative retreat at The Greenbrier in West Virginia on Wednesday. |
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