President Joe Biden鈥檚 Democratic allies are launching an aggressive defense against a special counsel鈥檚 explosive claims that the 81-year-old president couldn鈥檛 remember major milestones in his life, trying to diminish the significance of the prosecutor鈥檚 allegations that Biden was too forgetful to be charged for mishandling classified material.
Biden set the angry tone hours after special counsel Robert Hur鈥檚 report was released, dismissing the report鈥檚 conclusions about his memory and insisting he hadn鈥檛 forgotten the year his son Beau died, as Hur claimed. Democrats on Capitol Hill and around the country quickly followed.
鈥淩epublicans saying that Biden is old is the least surprising thing in American politics,鈥� Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all they鈥檝e got.鈥�
Democrats plan to answer the widespread questions about the 81-year-old president鈥檚 age and readiness by affirming that Biden is capable of being commander in chief and trying to discredit people who portray him as enfeebled. Key to that strategy is drawing a contrast with former President Donald Trump, the heavy Republican front-runner who is himself 77 and has also confused names and facts while also facing four indictments and multiple multimillion-dollar civil judgments.
The signs of support are crucial for Biden as he prepares for what could be a tight election against Trump. Even before the report鈥檚 release, fears were mounting that the coalition that helped elect Biden in 2020 was fraying, making it all the more important for Biden to keep as many supporters as possible firmly on his side.
The Biden campaign circulated talking points to allies that were obtained by The Associated Press. The talking points refer to Hur, a U.S. attorney during the Trump administration, as a 鈥淢AGA-appointed attorney who doesn鈥檛 have a case so he decided to lob personal attacks against the president.鈥� That鈥檚 a reference to 鈥淢ake America Great Again,鈥� Trump鈥檚 political movement.
The talking points also stressed that Hur is 鈥渁 lawyer 鈥� not a doctor 鈥� so people should take his legal conclusions and ignore his political opinions.鈥�
The White House has also noted Biden cooperated with Hur, who declined to charge him with unlawfully retaining classified documents, while Trump faces an indictment in Florida after the FBI seized records from his Mar-a-Lago residence.
鈥淭he way that the president鈥檚 demeanor in that report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated, gratuitous,鈥� Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday. 鈥淚 will say that when it comes to the role and responsibility of a prosecutor in a situation like that, we should expect that there would be a higher level of integrity than what we saw.鈥�
Indignation spread into South Carolina, where Biden scored a commanding victory in the first-in-the-nation Democratic primary on Feb. 3, which was designed by his campaign to project clear strength. Some saw Biden鈥檚 forceful response to the special counsel as a promising sign.
鈥淚 truly believe this is bringing the best out in the president. It鈥檚 showing that he鈥檚 a fighter,鈥� said LaJoia Broughton, a 42-year-old small-business owner in Columbia who voted for Biden in the primary.
Biden aides say they do not expect the president or his campaign to take on the age question more directly. They can鈥檛 make Biden any younger, and note that attacks on the president over his age were also persistent four years ago, when Trump labeled him 鈥淪leepy Joe.鈥�
Instead, they intend to draw on the blueprint of the 2020 campaign and argue many voters won鈥檛 want a repeat of Trump鈥檚 turbulent time in the White House. They also plan to highlight Biden鈥檚 accomplishments and an economy that continues to show strength.
鈥淭he president has said that age is a fair question on voters鈥� minds, but if you鈥檙e an independent or pursuable voter across this country and you鈥檙e worried about your kid facing gun violence while going to school, the prospect a national abortion ban, or the future of our democracy, you may think about the president鈥檚 age, but at the end of the day the choice is easy,鈥� said Kate Berner, a former deputy communications director in the Biden White House. 鈥淒onald Trump is on the wrong side of all of those issues.鈥�
Some Democrats weren鈥檛 so optimistic.
鈥淭his is a distraction. When you鈥檙e running a presidential campaign, you don鈥檛 like distractions,鈥� said Jim Messina, who led former President Barack Obama鈥檚 last campaign.
Messina compared the special counsel鈥檚 report to the announcement in October 2016 by then- FBI Director James Comey that he was further investigating Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton鈥檚 handling of classified emails when she was secretary of state. Comey鈥檚 announcement, which came 11 days before the election, has been blamed for helping Trump beat Clinton.
In this case, this week鈥檚 report comes more than nine months before Election Day.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just so much time to get through all this,鈥� Messina said. 鈥淭rump has all the trials coming up. I鈥檇 be surprised if this was an issue in a month.鈥�
Still, Trump鈥檚 allies were emboldened this week.
Beyond celebrating the release of the special counsel鈥檚 embarrassing descriptions of Biden, Trump won a new trove of delegates in Nevada鈥檚 Thursday caucuses, where he ran unopposed.
鈥淲e all already know that Joe Biden is senile. What鈥檚 being lost is that Joe Biden is a criminal who put American national security at risk,鈥� Donald Trump Jr. wrote in one of many messages highlighting the new report.
Barry Goodman, a Biden fundraiser from Michigan, said he鈥檚 had some donors 鈥渢ake a wait and see approach鈥� about supporting Biden, even before the special counsel鈥檚 announcement.
鈥淭hey wanted to see if someone else would get in or whether Trump would drop out 鈥� but no one else is getting in,鈥� Goodman said. 鈥淥f everyone I talk to, some are more excited than others.鈥�
Still, Goodman said the report did nothing to shake his support for Biden.
Trav Robertson, a former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman, described the report as an obvious political liability for Biden. But he directed blame squarely at Attorney General Merrick Garland for allowing the report to include comments about the president鈥檚 age, memory and cognitive function.
鈥淢errick Garland not doing his job only allowed a Trump appointee to feed a political narrative to deflect from Trump,鈥� Robertson said, adding, 鈥淒onald Trump can鈥檛 lift a glass of water to his lips without using both hands because he鈥檚 old.鈥�
Indeed, Biden鈥檚 allies were eager to highlight a perceived double standard as Biden鈥檚 gaffes get far more attention than those of other leading politicians.
Trump repeatedly confused former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Republican rival Nikki Haley in recent weeks. Biden didn鈥檛 help himself, of course, by referring to the Egyptian leader as the president of Mexico late Thursday.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a clear unfairness there that people feel,鈥� Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., a former U.S. attorney, said of the focus on Biden鈥檚 gaffes, describing the special counsel鈥檚 assessment of Biden鈥檚 mental health as 鈥渋mproper,鈥� 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� and 鈥渟hameful.鈥�
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., noted that even House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also recently confused Iran with Israel.
鈥淲ho cares?鈥� Garcia said of the gaffes. 鈥淭he president is going to win. I鈥檓 very confident in that. Most importantly, he鈥檚 going to be running against a 91-time indicted criminal.鈥�
Steve Peoples, Zeke Miller And Seung Min Kim, The Associated Press
