US President Joe Biden has angrily rejected the findings of a special counsel’s report that questioned his ability to recall critical dates and events related to his possession of classified documents.
The report, released on Thursday, said that Mr Biden’s memory was “hazy”, “fuzzy”, “faulty”, “poor”, and had “significant limitations” when he was interviewed by investigators last month.
The report also said that Mr Biden had mishandled classified documents on several occasions, including leaving them unsecured in his hotel room, and that he had difficulty remembering when his son Beau died or when he served as vice president.
Mr Biden, who is 81 years old, has faced persistent doubts about his age and mental acuity from his political opponents and some voters.
At a press conference in the White House, Mr Biden lashed out at a reporter who asked him about the report and the voter concerns.
“That’s your judgment, that is your judgment. That is not the judgment of the press,” Mr Biden said, raising his voice.
“My memory is fine. I remember everything that is relevant to my job and my life. And I challenge anyone to prove otherwise,” he added.
Mr Biden also accused the special counsel, John Durham, of being politically motivated and biased against him.
“This is a witch hunt, plain and simple. This is an attempt to undermine my presidency and distract from the real issues that matter to the American people,” he said.
Mr Biden said he would not further cooperate with the special counsel and had complete confidence in his legal team to clear his name.
The special counsel was appointed by former Attorney General William Barr in 2020 to investigate the origins of the FBI’s probe into the 2016 Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.
Mr Durham has since expanded his scope to include other matters related to Mr Biden, such as his involvement in the Ukraine scandal and his son Hunter’s business dealings.
Mr Durham has not commented on the report or Mr Biden’s remarks.
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