Robert Hur Deserves an Apology

And we, the American people, deserve answers and accountability.

Robert Hur

If you're not familiar with Robert Hur, he gained national attention when Merrick Garland, the then-Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice, appointed Hur as special counsel in January 2023. Hur’s role was to investigate whether then-President Joe Biden mishandled classified documents. Hur's appointment was notable because he is a registered Republican and was appointed by former President Trump as the U.S. Attorney for Maryland (2018-2021). However, for those who knew Hur both professionally and personally, the decision made perfect sense, because Hur “had a track record of making nonpartisan law enforcement decisions and was respected by people on both sides of the aisle.”

The attention Hur received at the outset of his special counsel appointment was minor compared to the response he received after releasing his report in February 2024. Hur chose not to charge Biden with mishandling classified information, and one of the key reasons was that Hur noted that Biden's memory was "significantly limited" during the interviews with the special counsel's office. If this case goes to trial, Biden would present himself to a jury “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” according to Hur. In his report, Hur cited several examples to support his conclusion, including Biden's inability to remember when his term as vice president ended or the date of his son Beau's death.

Hur’s report ignited a fierce backlash, targeting him rather than Joe Biden. The Biden White House fired back, accusing Hur of breaching the norm by criticizing Biden and labeling his findings as “cheap, false shots.” At a press conference, President Biden expressed indignation, questioning how Hur could possibly mention Beau Biden’s death. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris echoed the criticism, declaring Hur’s statements "incredibly misguided and clearly politically motivated." Every cabinet member and nearly all Democrats in Congress rallied behind Biden, vehemently attacking Hur while asserting that he was “sharp” and “fit.”

Meanwhile, legacy media on the left echoed this chorus, attacking Hur relentlessly (see examples here, here, and here). Over the course of the following four months after the report's release, Hur became synonymous with insensitivity for referencing Beau Biden’s death, and was portrayed as a partisan hack. Hur’s boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, did not defend him. Despite repeated demands from House Republicans, Garland refused to release the audio of Hur’s interview with Joe Biden.

After the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in June, 2024, it became increasingly difficult to deny Biden’s mental and physical decline. As people say, "the rest is history." However, in this case, history has even more to reveal.