PRESS RELEASE Contact: press@congressionalintegrity.org
For Immediate Release
Date: February 9, 2024
Washington, DC – Yesterday, Republican Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report determining no charges in President Biden’s document case. Despite acknowledging no crime was committed and no charges would be filed, Hur, who was appointed by Donald Trump to be the U. S. Attorney for Maryland in 2018, couldn’t miss the opportunity to take a gratuitous political punch President Biden. Legal commentators agree that the report is editorialized and gratuitous.
In response, Congressional Integrity Project executive director, Kyle Herrig, issued the following statement:
“Special Counsel Hur is a lifelong Republican and MAGA Trump appointee who decided to hit the president politically, when it was clear to him he couldn’t hit him criminally. The Trump-appointed prosecutor pored over 40 years, desperately searching for a crime to charge the President with and couldn’t find one. He went outside of his job description and played politics. Hur put political games over impartial justice as part of the MAGA agenda to harm President Biden heading into the 2024 election and to help distract from Donald Trump’s two impeachments, 91 criminal indictments, and the insurrection he started.”
Legal Commentary
Eric Holder (Former US Attorney General): “Special Counsel Hur report on Biden classified documents issues contains way too many gratuitous remarks and is flatly inconsistent with long standing DOJ traditions. Had this report been subject to a normal DOJ review these remarks would undoubtedly have been excised.” [Eric Holder, X, 2/9/24]
Norm Eisen (Former Ambassador and legal scholar): “Joe Biden committed no crime That is what counts, & Hur’s digs about Biden’s age & memory are gratuitous I explained @CNN w @thelauracoates @harrylitman.” [Norm Eisen, X, 2/9/24]
Harry Litman (Former US Attorney): “I’m late to join this chorus but only because of the press of the Court argument yesterday. But Hur’s comments about age and memory, which are the predictable headlines today, were a cheap shot with a capital “C.” Barely disguised as relevant, they were a rank political gift to Trump.” [Harry Litman, X, 2/9/24]
Andrew Weissman (Former FBI General Counsel): “Entirely inappropriate. That’s not the role of the Department of Justice… It’s gratuitous. And it is exactly what you’re not supposed to do, which is putting your thumb on the scale that could have political repercussions.” [MSNBC, X, 2/8/24]
Joyce Vance (Former US Attorney): Move on. Robert Hur crossed a line. He doesn’t need any more oxygen.” [Joyce Vance, X, 2/9/24]
Bradley Moss (National Security Attorney): “The more I digest Hur’s report the more annoyed I am with how poorly written this thing is. He got the legal conclusion right, let me be clear. But his analysis is totally wrong. Proving Biden’s intent would in no way hinge on Biden’s memory (biden wouldn’t testify anyway). [Bradley Moss, X, 2/8/24]
Mimi Rocah (Former Prosecutor): “Once Hur said “the evidence does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” he should have stopped. Why is he opining on Biden’s mental state now or in 2024 or 2029? His memory now & those years isn’t relevant to his intent at the time of the crime being investigated. Totally gratuitous.” [Mimi Rocah, X, 2/8/24]
Other Commentary
Joe Scarborough (MSNBC): “[Hur] Couldn’t Indict Biden Legally So He Tried To Indict Biden Politically.” [Joe Scarborough, X, 2/8/24]
- Scarborough: “How remarkable that a special counsel who was both an attorney AND a neurologist could mistakenly write that Biden willfully took these documents before .” [Joe Scarborough, X, 2/8/24]
Greg Sargent (New Republic): “Any news org that puts Biden’s memory in the headline is actively rewarding Hur’s bad faith and giving the Trump campaign what they want, when that bad faith and the Trump camp’s glee over it should *itself* be the story.” [Greg Sargent, X, 2/8/24]
Matthew Yglesias (Slow Boring): “This is fucking bullshit. You appoint a Republican special counsel to investigate. He investigates. His investigation does not reveal a crime. So instead of saying ‘all good!’ he goes off and does partisan political hits?” [Matthew Yglesias, X, 2/8/24]
Anthony Coley (Former Department of Justice Head of Public Affairs): “I read the report. Slept on it overnight. This am my thoughts are the same: Robert Hur missed the mark on this report. Hur was supposed to be the unbiased umpire calling balls & strikes as they are. The unnecessary commentary feels more like political pot shots.” [Anthony Coley, 2/9/24]
Jim Messina (Former Obama Advisor): ” “Let’s be clear–the special counsel isn’t a dummy and we should be very careful not to take the bait after Comey pulled this in 2016. Hur, a lifelong Republican and creature of DC, didn’t have a case against Biden, but he knew exactly how his swipes could hurt Biden politically.” [Jim Messina, X, 2/9/24]
- Messina: “We’ve got to stop treating a single line in a gratuitously long, heavily editorialized special counsel’s report–in which no crime was found btw–by a partisan Republican investigator like it’s a bigger liability than Trump’s 91 criminal charges and being found liable for rape.” [Jim Messina, X, 2/9/24]
Dan Pfeiffer (Former Obama Advisor): “The Special Counsel’s report is a partisan hit job. Its characterizations of Biden don’t match those relayed by everyone who talks to him, including GOPers. However, it speaks to Biden’s biggest vulnerability. Therefore, it must be dealt with. Here’s how:” [Dan Pfeiffer, X, 2/9/24]