Supreme Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce.
Mary the President angry last night.
In fact, George, I don't recall the last time I
saw the President this angry.
Biden, furious and frustrated, ripping into the special counsel for
questioning his memory.
And recall, in this hastily arranged press event,
the president doing a little bit of damage control as
his legal exoneration now threatens to become a political liability
overnight. President Biden defiant, defending his handling of classified information
and his memory,
firing back at special counsel Robert her after he declined
to prosecute the president but raised questions about Biden's mental
acuity.
Their task was to make a decision
about whether to move forward with charges in this case
for any extraneous commentary.
They don't know. And what they're talking about.
Biden well aware his age is a top concern for
voters defending himself.
Your memory has gotten
worse, Mr. President. My memory is not.
My memory is fine. My memory.
Take a look at what I've done since I've become
president.
None of you thought I could pass any of the
things I got passed.
How'd that happen? The report concludes.
The president should not face charges,
saying Biden would likely present himself to a jury,
as he did during our interview of him as a
sympathetic,
well meaning elderly man with a poor memory.
The special counsel describing Biden's recollection as painfully slow and
his memory hazy,
writing that Biden did not remember even within several years
when his son Beau died,
that conclusion clearly striking a chord.
Frankly, when I was asked the question,
I thought to myself, wasn't any of their damn business.
I don't need anyone to remind me when he passed
away or passed away.
How in the hell dare he raise that
Biden, clearly frustrated as his age comes under increasing scrutiny.
President For months when you were asked about your age,
you would respond with the words watch me.
Many American people have been watching and they have expressed
concerns about your age,
your judgment. That is your judgment.
That is not the judgment of the press and defending
his decision to run for reelection
qualified person in this country.
Be President, United States, and finish the job I started
After 13 months of investigating,
the special counsel determined there was evidence Biden willfully retained
and disclosed classified materials from his time as vice president,
but that he should not be prosecuted because the evidence
does not establish Mr.
Biden's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
But the president pushing back,
denying the report's key findings that he held on to
classified material.
I've seen the headlines since the report was released about
my willful retention of documents
this these assertions not only misleading,
they're just plain wrong. Still,
the president welcoming the news that this case is now
closed and emphasizing that the report lays out the stark
differences between his own case and former President Trump's handling
of classified material, that Biden fully cooperated with authorities while
Trump did the opposite.
I cooperated completely. I did not throw up any roadblocks.
I saw it. No delays.
Now, moments after defending his memory,
the president mistakenly referred to the president of Egypt as
the president of Mexico.
He did later get it right.
But look, the president clearly knows that while legally this
may be over,
politically, this report can still do him some damage.
And that obviously angers him and is something,
George, that he's trying to get ahead of.
OK, Mary Bruce, thanks very much.