Then came his findings last month. The 345-page report concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Biden, but of more import to the political class were the several references to Biden’s poor memory. Coming at a time when the president faced concerns about his age and tepid polling in his reelection bid, the report — followed by the president’s verbal slip-up at a press conference designed to rebut Hur — was explosive.
Believe it or not, Robert Hur was not always a political pariah among Democrats in Washington.
As recently as six weeks ago, he was just a Republican lawyer and former federal prosecutor handling one of the Justice Department’s least enviable assignments as the special counsel appointed to oversee the investigation into Joe Biden’s possession of classified documents.
Republicans saw an obvious political opportunity, and called Hur to testify before Congress Tuesday at a hearing on the report. Democrats should tread carefully as they question him.
Put bluntly, going hard after Hur could be a huge mistake. Hur is a potentially crucial witness in this hotly contested election year, and he does not have the resume to make him out to be a GOP activist or a MAGA devotee. He is also uniquely situated to inflict political damage on Biden if he wants to — and to do so in ways that are probably not apparent if you haven’t read his report in full. In fact, poking at Hur’s integrity could easily backfire if it prompts him to unleash more fully on Biden.
Holding back may not be easy, particularly if Democrats are trying to play to their base. Liberal pundits loudly complained about media coverage of the episode, and it quickly became a truism among professional Democrats that Hur was a political hack who never should have been trusted with the probe and who was plainly out to hurt Biden in an election year.
Read the full story at Politico.
