Argument concerning Biden's questioning recording: US House of Representatives censures Attorney General
President Biden refused to give the recording to Congress, due to a suggestion from Attorney General Garland. He faced questioning by special prosecutor Robert Hur regarding his handling of confidential government documents from his time as vice president during 2009-2017.
Hur's investigations attracted attention in the media. The prosecutor appointed by Garland stated that Biden shouldn't be charged, but his comment about Biden being a "well-meaning, older man with a bad memory" generated newspaper headlines. Republicans seized on these remarks to query Biden's ability to lead as president.
Unlike the audio recording, the written transcript of Biden's interview was shared with the House of Representatives and subsequently released publicly. Democrats claim the Republicans are only interested in the audio recording to twist it for their own gain and use it in the election campaign.
Garland is the third Attorney General in the US to face charges of disregarding Congress. Although the vote against him carries no practical significance, the transfer of the case to the Justice Department led by Garland leaves the possibility of prosecution against his own ministry.
The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, considers the vote approving it with a narrow 216-207 to be a "prominent step" in safeguarding the Congress's power to supervise. Garland, meanwhile, lamented that the Republicans had turned a serious Congressional power into a partisan tool.
Biden has announced his intention to contest re-election in the upcoming November elections. His possible Republican challenger is his immediate predecessor, Donald Trump. As it stands, Biden is the most senior US president in history at 81 years old, while Trump is only a few years younger at 77.
Hur's report on Biden's memory issues was also noted; Biden struggles to remember key data related to his vice presidency under Obama or the death of his son Beau due to cancer in 2015. Biden has also been a source of controversy due to his forgetfulness and inaccuracies in public communication. Trump is not without his own linguistic faux-pas from time to time.
