(Observer Network News).
The 81-year-old Biden was exempted from criminal charges in the "Documentgate" investigation on the 8th, but was pointed out by the special prosecutor in the report as having a "bad memory", questioning that he did not even remember when his eldest son died. A few hours later, at an emergency nightly press conference, Biden defended his memory and choked back that he didn't need anyone to remind him when his son died, "It's their business?" ”
The Washington Post and the New York Times said on the 8th that the White House was in a hurry to prepare for this press conference, and did not notify reporters until 20 minutes before Biden's speech. And on live TV, Biden also made an "emotional" "fierce defense" of his memory and ability to govern, and was "particularly angry" when talking about his eldest son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015.
The report even said that I don't remember when my son died, how dare he mention it? "Honestly, when I was asked that question, I thought to myself, it wasn't any of their damn business." I don't need anyone, I don't need anyone to remind me of the time of his death. ”
Biden speaks at the White House Diplomatic Reception Room in Washington, D.C., on February 8. Visual China.
On the 8th local time, Robert Hull, special prosecutor of the U.S. Department of Justice, announced an investigation report on Biden's mishandling of classified documents during his previous tenure as deputy **, the 388-page report recognized Biden's active cooperation with the investigation, but also assessed that his memory was "severely limited", saying that he was a "well-intentioned, poor memory old man".
"In interviews with our office, Mr. Biden has a worse memory," Hull wrote. He doesn't remember when he was a deputy and forgot when his term ended on the first day of the interview. On the second day of the interview, he forgot when his tenure began. He also doesn't remember when his son Beau died, even though that happened a few years ago. ”
The New York Times said that the report's assessment of his age and memory problems apparently made Biden "very unhappy." In this regard, Biden said at a press conference on the 8th: "My memory is fine......I know what I'm doing. Biden also said that Hull interviewed him on October 8 and 9 last year, and although he was busy dealing with the "national crisis" of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the time, he gave him a total of five hours to talk.
At the press conference, reporters kept asking Biden about the description of his memory in the relevant report, and Biden also behaved aggressively. The Washington Post said he spoke loudly, argued with reporters and gave answers that bordered on sarcasm.
When asked why he shouldn't give way to a younger successor, Biden responded harshly that it was just the journalist's personal judgment and said he was the most qualified person in the United States to be the best person to do the job and that he should "finish what I started." A Fox News reporter asked, "How bad is your memory?" Are you still up to the task? Biden choked and said, "I have a bad memory for you to speak." ”
Despite the outrage over the report, Biden's aides also realized that the statements in the report highlight his biggest weaknesses: his age and questioning his mental acuity, according to an analysis by the American "Politico" news network. In fact, at this press conference, Biden made another slip of the tongue when talking about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, misrepresenting Egypt as Mexico.
A NBC poll released this week showed that 76 percent of voters, including 54 percent of Democrats, said they had significant or moderate concerns when asked whether Biden had the "mental and physical fitness needed for re-election**." Trump's campaign also used the Justice Department report to highlight concerns about Biden's age: "If you're too old to stand trial, you're not fit to be a **."
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer.com, and it is not allowed to be unauthorized and shall not be allowed.