By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor and Kelly Laco, Executive Editor Of Politics For Dailymail.Com
01:04 09 Feb 2024, updated 06:29 09 Feb 2024
President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Thursday night, confidently asserting ‘I know what the hell I am doing!’ and defending the state of his memory. However, moments later, he made another noteworthy blunder by mistakenly referring to the Egyptian leader as the President of Mexico. Biden’s forceful statement came in response to a report from the Justice Department on his handling of classified documents. The 388-page report by Special Counsel Robert Hur confirmed that Biden would not face charges for storing classified documents in his garage. However, it suggested that a jury might conclude that he had ‘diminished faculties’ and was a ‘well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.’ During a hastily arranged press conference, Biden expressed frustration, saying: ‘I know what the hell I’m doing! My memory has not deteriorated. My memory is fine. Take a look at what I have accomplished since becoming president. No one thought I could achieve all the things I did. How did that happen? I guess I just forgot what was going on…’ This surprise statement came after the Department of Justice released its investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. Particularly upsetting to the president was Hur’s reference to Biden not remembering when his son Beau passed away. Biden addressed this, expressing anger: ‘There’s even reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? I don’t need anyone, I don’t need anyone, to remind me of when he passed away. Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, wasn’t any of their damned business.’ He also dismissed reports about his ‘willful’ retention of documents as ‘misleading’ and vehemently denied sharing classified information. Biden then took a question about the humanitarian situation in Gaza but misidentified a world leader, calling Egypt’s Abdel Fattah El-Sisi the President of Mexico. He said: ‘I think as you know initially, the president of Mexico, El-Sisi, did not want to open up the gate to humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate.’ While it is common for politicians to occasionally misspeak, Biden’s mix-up of world leaders has drawn attention, especially after similar incidents earlier in the week. The president went on to attribute the sensitive documents found at his home, garage, and office to his staff’s actions and took responsibility for not being aware of these activities. He also criticized Special Counsel Robert Hur for focusing on his memory in the report announcing that he would not be charged for mishandling classified documents. When asked about the report’s assertion that his memory might be a reason for not bringing charges, Biden responded angrily, stating: ‘I’m well meaning and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’m the president and I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation it’s totally out of [order].’ Biden also responded sarcastically to a question about his memory, saying: ‘My memory is so bad I let you speak.’ Although the report did not recommend bringing charges, it highlighted a series of damaging findings about files found in Biden’s garage and his fitness for office. Biden’s forgetfulness about the dates during his vice presidency and even the year of his son Beau’s death was emphasized. Furthermore, his handling of classified documents posed a significant national security risk, according to the report. Despite pointing out more favorable aspects of the report, such as a passage indicating that his errors were not as severe as those faced by Trump, Biden faced a tough question on the Gaza situation. He criticized Israel’s response in the Gaza Strip as being ‘over the top.’ A damaging passage in the report that particularly upset Biden stated: ‘He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’).’
