JOE Biden insisted his memory “is fine” during a surprise address to the nation on Thursday night.
The emotional speech came just hours after it was ruled the president will not face criminal charges over keeping secret documents.
Classified documents were discovered in a file cabinet in President Joe Biden’s home in January 2023[/caption]
US Attorney Robert Hur handled the special counsel case involving the classified documents Biden obtained[/caption]
Biden said during the conference, ‘I did not share classified information’[/caption]
Biden got emotional over claims that he did not remember the date his son, Beau, died[/caption]
A special counsel report on Thursday declared Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials” from his time as Barack Obama’s vice-president.
Prosecutors, however, deemed him “an elderly man with a poor memory,” who when interviewed, was said to have got muddled about the dates he served as VP and the year his son Beau died.
Biden, 81, fired back at the claims on Thursday night, insisting he needs no reminder of his son’s death.
“I don’t need anyone, anyone, to remind me when he passed away,” the president said of the special counsel.
“How dare he raise that.
“Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, was it any of their damn business?”
The president went on to tell reporters that he had sat with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who wrote the report, for “five hours, two days, over events going back 40 years.”
He also reminded those listening from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House that he was “managing a national crisis” at the same time, referring to the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s October attack on Israel.
“I know what the hell I’m doing,” he raged.
“My memory is fine, take a look at what I’ve done since I’ve been president.”
The special counsel declared on Thursday that Biden would not face criminal charges and avoid a trial over keeping secret documents.
“The decision to decline criminal charges was straightforward,” he said.
It comes after his report confirmed Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials” while Vice President.
Biden will not face charges though after mixing up dates from when he served as VP and the year Beau died, according to the special counsel’s report.
The mix-up proved that he is a “well-meaning elderly man.”
“At trial, Mr Biden would likely present himself to a jury as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” special counsel Robert Hur said.
Speaking after the remarks during his fiery address to the nation, Biden insisted he did not share the classified information.
“I’ve seen headlines since the report was released about my willful retention of documents,” Biden said.
“This assertion is not only misleading, it’s just plain wrong.
“I did not share classified information. I did not share it with my ghostwriter.”
The special counsel declared Biden would not face criminal charges and avoid a trial over keeping secret documents[/caption]
The decision was made after finding that Biden is a ‘well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory’[/caption]