The Documents and the 'Elderly Man With a Poor Memory'
WASHINGTON -- "Why did he do it?" House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan asked about President Joe Biden's decision to hang onto classified documents in his garage, Delaware Penn Biden Center office and home office -- rather than in a secure facility.
In the hot seat Tuesday was Robert Hur, until recently the special counsel whose investigation of Biden's mishandling of classified information ended with the decision not to charge Biden criminally.
As his report noted, Hur did not say Biden did nothing wrong. But he believed a jury probably would not convict a former president who could be seen as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
File that under Damning with Faint Praise.
Back to Jordan's question. The GOP firebrand offered his own answer as to motive -- "the oldest motives in the book, pride and money."
On the money front, Jordan was referring to the $8 million advance paid to Biden for his second book. In the process, Biden opened up to his ghostwriter.
It is the pride element that interests me today. The then-vice president saved classified information that he believed bolstered his disagreement with President Barack Obama's decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan in 2009.
Biden especially did not want to surrender handwritten notes -- which he no doubt believed would make him look better than Obama on "Afghanastan," which Biden frequently misspelled.
My read: Biden knew what he was doing, but he couldn't help himself. Ego.
Some Republicans argue there is a double standard. Biden has not been charged with document violations even as former President Donald Trump has been.
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