Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, predicted to Newsweek on Wednesday that Joe Biden's team will use special counsel Robert Hur's recent report as a potential defense if the president were to be impeached.
Last week, Hur, a Republican who served as U.S. attorney in Maryland from 2018 to 2021 after being appointed by former President Donald Trump, released a bombshell report as part of the Department of Justice's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.
In the report, Hur characterizes Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." While the president was not criminally charged, his reelection campaign faced a blow, with critics voicing concerns over his mental fitness.
At a press conference last Thursday night, Biden said, "My memory's fine," adding that "I know what the hell I'm doing." Meanwhile, Biden's personal lawyer said that Hur's "shabby" report "went off the rails" on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.
Meanwhile, House Republicans continue their impeachment inquiry into Biden over his son Hunter's foreign business dealings. The president is alleged to have been involved with and benefited from his son's dealings, which the White House has repeatedly denied.
Burchett, a conservative known for his candor with the press, was asked by Newsweek on Wednesday if it is time to impeach Biden, following a successful House vote to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Mayorkas was impeached by a 214 to 213 vote on Tuesday over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border as a surge of illegal migrants flood into America.
"Well, his mental capacity of course is in question right now," Burchett said of Biden. "With that press conference, he didn't do himself any favors there. I've gone from anger towards him to pity actually. It's just beyond belief how bad his condition is."
Burchett was referring to the president's press conference Thursday night. Biden mistakenly referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the "president of Mexico" while answering a question about the conflict in Gaza.
Newsweek reached out to Biden's campaign and the White House via email for comment.
Burchett said the House "probably" has the votes to impeach Biden, adding, "But I think his own party and his own family need to make some decision at this point. I think it's a point of embarrassment actually."
When asked if there is still energy in the House to impeach the president, Burchett said: "I don't know if the energy is there or not. There's a lot of anger towards him, just his inactivity on the border and everything else, of course just the incredible corruption.
"I honestly think what they're going to use as their defense is his mental capacity. That recent release, whatever you want to call it, was a preemptive strike on their part to lay the ground that he's not mentally well, and that'll free him up not to be convicted."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
