All eyes on Tuesday will be on special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and delivered a political bombshell with his conclusions about Biden’s memory.
During Hur’s high-stakes hearing today, here are a few things to watch for:
What is he going to say about Biden’s age and memory? Republicans will undoubtedly question Hur over Biden’s mental acuity after his report painted a damaging portrait of the president’s memory, which it called “significantly limited” and “hazy” at times. Biden and his allies have forcefully rejected that depiction.
How does Hur differentiate between Biden and Trump’s handling of classified material? Hur will be testifying Tuesday at a congressional hearing about Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. Two days later, there will be a court hearing in Florida about Trump’s allegedly illegal mishandling of classified documents, in the Mar-a-Lago case. Perhaps the most potent line of attack for Democrats on Tuesday will be Hur’s own explanation for why, essentially, Trump’s behavior was worse than Biden’s.
How will GOP tie this to impeachment? House Republicans are looking for Hur’s public testimony to provide fresh momentum to their sputtering impeachment inquiry into Biden. In their subpoena to the Justice Department for documents related to Hur’s probe ahead of the hearing, Republicans linked his work to their own investigation, saying they “are concerned that President Biden may have retained sensitive documents related to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business dealings.”
Read up on more key things to look for in Tuesday’s high-stakes hearing.