President Joe Biden held an unscheduled briefing on Thursday evening, addressing a Department of Justice report on his handling of classified documents. He praised his government for not bringing charges against him but criticized the report’s comments, attributing his difficulties in answering questions to international events such as the conflict in Israel.
During the briefing, Biden blamed his staff for the presence of classified documents in his garage. “I take responsibility for not having seen exactly what my staff was doing. Boxes going in and out. Things that appeared in my garage things that came out of my home. Things that were removed not by me but my staff. By my staff,” Biden said.
Biden says "I've seen the headlines since the report was about my willful release of documents. Thes assertions are not only misleading, they're just plain wrong."
He goes on: "There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that?" pic.twitter.com/akAX2IBHdX
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 9, 2024
The atmosphere grew contentious as White House reporters seized on the report, resulting in a frenzied question period.
Biden attempted to distinguish his case from Donald Trump’s, emphasizing his cooperation with investigators and the security of documents in his home compared to Trump’s. He disputed allegations of memory issues raised in the report, asserting his competence and dismissing suggestions of memory decline.
Biden reiterated that the matter was closed and emphasized his focus on his presidential duties. However, he faced scrutiny over his memory, and even took a shot at Fox News’ Peter Doocy after he asked, “How bad is your memory and can you continue as President?”
“My memory is so bad I let you speak,” Biden fired back.
Wow. Biden told Peter Doocy "My memory is so bad I let you speak." pic.twitter.com/649UKgHExE
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 9, 2024
In a final response, Biden mistakenly referred to Egypt’s president as the president of Mexico when discussing a hostage situation in Gaza, highlighting a potential gaffe. “As you know, initially, the president of Mexico, [El-]Sisi, did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him, I convinced him to open the gate,” he said. El-Sisi being Egypt’s president.
Despite asserting his innocence and competence throughout the briefing, Biden’s remarks were overshadowed by questions regarding the handling of classified documents and concerns over his memory, which grow more and more valid every week with his mental capabilities again being questioned after he said that he had spoken with a former French president who has been deceased for decades.
