In a fiery and revealing exchange during Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) grilled former special counsel Robert Hur about President Joe Biden’s motivation for keeping classified documents after his term as vice president had concluded.
At the heart of the matter was an $8 million book deal Biden had been offered at the time. Jordan’s questioning centered on why the president would have taken classified documents in violation of the law after leaving the White House.
Hur, who had been tasked with investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, indicated that his final report on the matter did not directly address the president’s motivations. However, Jordan debunked this statement.
"Page 231, you said this: 'President Biden had strong motivations'—that's a key word. We're getting a motive now: 'President Biden had strong motivations to ignore the proper procedures for safeguarding the classified information in his notebook.' Why did he have strong motivations? 'Because he decided months before leaving office to write a book.'"
The chairman did not stop there. Jordan pointed out that Biden “knew the rules” and “broke them because he was writing a book.” He also noted that Biden “began meeting with the ghostwriter while he was still vice president.”
The focus turned to the amount of money Biden was set to make from the book. Hur indicated that he was not sure if his report included a dollar amount. Jordan pressed him, telling him that there was a dollar amount in the report, to which Hur indicated that “it may be eight million.”
Jordan further explored the report’s findings, intimating that money wasn’t the only motive. “It wasn't just the money, it wasn't just $8 million. It was also his ego. Pride and money is why he knowingly violated the rules," he said.
Jordan: "Pride and money is why [Biden] knowingly violated the rules...Do you agree with that, Mr. Hur? You wrote it in your report"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 12, 2024
Hur: "That language does appear in the report, and we did identify evidence supporting those assessments." pic.twitter.com/HWdxuddK70
Chairman Jordan:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 12, 2024
"Joe Biden knew the rules, you know he knew the rules, and Joe Biden told us he knew the rules. So Mr. Hur, why did he break them?" pic.twitter.com/JjGZ96Lf7B
The implications of this hearing and Hur’s investigation extend far beyond the proceedings. It raises questions about President Biden’s conduct after the end of the Obama administration. The report originally raised eyebrows because it confirmed that the president’s age and lack of mental acuity is a serious issue. But it also shows that his decision to take classified documents might not been as innocent as his supporters claim.
See also:
Hur's Opening Statement and First Glimpses of Biden's Unbelievable Excuses, Memory Losses
Jonathan Turley Busts Biden's Excuses and Mocks the Media's Next Move
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