The Biden White House is defending President Biden’s decision to assert executive privilege over his interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur — preventing Congress from obtaining his audio recordings — asserting that Biden made the decision “at the request of the attorney general.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed a question regarding Biden’s decision to block the release of the audio of his interview with the Special Counsel.
“And obviously the letter from the White House Council laid out for reasons about the concerns of being used for political purposes, but that seems to imply that the White House is concerned that these could be politically damaging,” a reporter said, asking why the White House will not just release the audio for the sake of full transparency.
Jean-Pierre defended Biden’s decision, contending that the transcripts themselves are already out there.
“I think the second piece of this too to note is that the Attorney General made it clear that law enforcement files like these need to be protected,” she said, claiming that Biden made the decision “at the request of the attorney general.”
“So just want to make that second point that I made really clear. The Department of Justice in the White House Counsel’s Office have provided extensive written letters, as you all know, I’m sure some of you have read this on this issue. And like I said, that you have seen and so, so when it comes to anything further or any specifics, obviously, I would refer you to my colleagues at the White House Counsel’s Office,” Jean-Pierre continued, pressing that the determination was made “at the request of the attorney general,” who “wanted to make sure that law enforcement files like these must be protected.”
WATCH:
QUESTION: Why did Biden block the release of audio from his interview with the special counsel? What's he hiding?
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 16, 2024
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "Law enforcement files like these need to be protected." pic.twitter.com/Wp1cDTDf3r
The famed interview being withheld made political waves after Hur revealed that Biden experienced mental lapses and “poor memory” during his interview.
CNN’s Burnett: Biden Hadn’t Slept, Was ‘Distracted’ When He Spoke with Special Counsel
However, Hur ultimately declined to prosecute Biden, citing “insufficient evidence.” He characterized Biden as “an elderly man with a poor memory.”
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