House GOP subpoenas Biden interview by special counsel Robert Hur
WASHINGTON — House Republicans issued a subpoena Tuesday demanding tapes and transcripts of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur’s team — which Hur described in a bombshell report earlier this month as showing the 81-year-old president to be so mentally diminished that no jury would convict him of mishandling classified records over a period of decades.
House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) “subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland for records, including transcripts, notes, video, and audio files, related to… Hur’s investigation of President Joe Biden’s willful mishandling of classified information,” according to a statement from their offices.
If made public, the tapes and transcripts could be politically devastating to Biden’s bid for a second term in November’s election if they confirm Hur’s account, which enraged Biden — or they could lend credence to a counter-theory that Biden may have deployed a strategic “bathrobe defense” to avoid accountability.
“Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents made two things clear: there’s a double standard of justice in this country and Joe Biden isn’t fit for office. The transcripts and materials from his investigation are critical to our oversight work,” said Jordan.
Comer added: “We owe it to the American people to provide transparency and accountability about the extent of Joe Biden retaining sensitive materials and the concerns raised about his current mental state and fitness to be President of the United States.”
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed receipt of the subpoena but did not provide additional reaction.
Former President Donald Trump, 77, faces 40 criminal charges and up to 450 years in prison for allegedly hoarding classified information after leaving office as president in 2021. His trial is set to begin May 20 in South Florida.
Hur wrote in his report, released Feb. 8, that his team “uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency” but added that “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The subpoena also demands classified records referenced in Hur’s report concerning a Dec. 11, 2015, call between then-Vice President Biden and then-Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Biden’s talking points for the call were among the classified documents found.
Jordan and Comer first asked Garland to voluntarily provide the records on Feb. 12, arguing it was necessary for the House impeachment inquiry.
The impeachment probe has focused primarily on Biden’s alleged role in his son Hunter and brother James’ foreign dealings, as well as an alleged Justice Department coverup to shield Joe and Hunter Biden in a criminal investigation of tax fraud and other potential crimes, such as unregistered foreign lobbying.
The subpoena sets up a potential standoff between Garland and congressional leaders, who are set to interview Hunter Biden Wednesday about his dad’s interactions with his partners from two Chinese government-linked ventures — as well as associates from Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine.
