Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images
- A special counsel's report trashed Biden's memory.
- Biden fired back with a furious press conference denying the allegations.
- Now the transcript is out — and it shows Biden's memory issues may have been overstated.
The transcript of President Joe Biden's interview with the special counsel Robert Hur is in the hands of journalists — and it reportedly shows that Hur's comments trashing Biden's memory may have been overstated.
The interview, which was held over five hours across two days, was part of Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.
Hur ultimately cleared Biden but concluded that he wouldn't recommend charges because he described Biden as an "elderly man with a poor memory" who would get sympathy from a jury.
In a bombshell report describing his investigation, Hur alleged a number of shocking memory lapses, including that Biden forgot when his son Beau died.
Biden fired back after the report was released, accusing Hur of bringing up his son's death.
But The Washington Post reported that the transcript of their conversation showed a more nuanced situation: Biden brought up Beau's death — and remembered the month and day.
"What month did Beau die? Oh God, May 30," the transcript says, according to the Post.
Two others present quickly interject with the year, the Post reported.
The New York Times — which also obtained a copy of the transcript — seconded the Post's report Tuesday morning, providing direct lines from the copy.
The Times noted that while Hur stressed that Biden "did not remember when he was vice president," the transcript shows a different tale: Biden quickly recognized his errors when mistaking which years he was vice president and asked for clarification.
Hur's report was seized on by Republicans, who have painted Biden as a man too old to be reelected.
Numerous national polls show that Biden's age is a main concern for voters as he prepares for a 2020 rematch against former President Donald Trump. A recent New York Times/Siena College survey, for example, found that 72% of its likely voter respondents either "strongly" or "somewhat" agreed Biden's too old to serve an additional term.
Some of Biden's allies in Congress have admitted his aging is noticeable, but Maryland Rep. David Trone said in late February the president is "working and firing on all cylinders."
Hur is set to testify before a GOP-led House panel on Tuesday.