Robert Hur was scrutinized by Democrats after describing Biden in his report as 'a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory'
Democrats tried to 'paint' Robert Hur as a 'rogue partisan' but it didn't work: Joe Concha
Fox News contributor Joe Concha joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the media's reaction to Robert Hur's testimony before Congress on Biden's handling of classified documents.
A Washington Post columnist defended Special Counsel Robert Hur in a new essay, chiding Democrats for maligning Hur's reputation after he had called President Biden a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" in his special counsel report in February.
"However the current disaster ultimately plays out, it’s worth revisiting the Hur episode as a key chapter in what appears to be a concerted effort by the White House and its political allies to deflect legitimate questions regarding the president’s fitness for office," Washington Post editorial writer and columnist Charles Lane wrote on Thursday. "Basically, Hur was subjected to a campaign of vilification."
Democrats and liberal media figures attacked Hur as a partisan hack for describing the president's memory problems in his report that stemmed from his investigation into Biden's improper retention of classified records.
President Biden also angrily reacted to the report, telling the press his memory was "fine" and denounced Hur for asking him when his son Beau had died, though a transcript later showed Biden had actually raised up the topic of his son's death.
Special Counsel Robert Hur was defended by a Washington Post columnist Thursday, after his comments about President Biden's age drew backlash from Democrats months ago.
Hur declined to bring criminal charges against Biden, writing that his age and memory lapses would raise doubt with a jury about whether the actions were intentional.
"Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone from whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt," the report states. "It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him—by then a former president well into his eighties—of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness."
Lane argued in his column that Hur had been "vindicated" by his own critics in the debate aftermath. A host of Democrats like Rep. Adam Schiff, who attacked Hur's credibility at the time, are now raising their own concerns about Biden's fitness.
"Perhaps if Democrats had not met Hur’s report with such an outpouring of denial, but treated it as a warning, they might not be in such a predicament today. Certainly this judicious and professional lawyer would have been spared an assault on his reputation," Lane wrote.
"To be sure, there are legitimate questions as to whether Hur’s report laid it on a bit thicker than Justice Department regulations suggest… Nevertheless, it’s clear the only partisan hit job here was the one waged by Hur’s critics," he continued.
Pundits and Democratic Party members have been calling on Biden to abandon his re-election due to concerns about his mental fitness for the presidency and cognitive ability. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
For months, the White House and Biden's allies in the liberal media have aggressively pushed back against media reports describing concerning behavior by the president behind-the-scenes, even calling viral videos showing Biden being led away or appearing confused, "cheap fakes."
Lane advised the White House to stop stonewalling efforts at transparency, saying attempts to deflect these concerns have not been effective.
"Events since June 27 have altered the balance. If the president and his team are as confident of his fitness as they say, they should stop objecting to disclosure. They might as well give transparency a try; wagon-circling has failed," he wrote.
Since the debate, Biden has faced increasing pressure to drop out of the race as members of his party turn their backs on the president, fearing his chances at beating former President Trump.
Biden has been resolute in his commitment to stay in the race. He is slated to give his first solo press conference since the debate disaster on Thursday evening.
Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.
