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The Playbook Podcast

February 9, 2024: Exactly how bad is Biden’s special counsel report?

The Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Daily News, Government, Politics

3.9699 Ratings

🗓️ 9 February 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The special counsel report on Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents was about as damaging as it could possibly be while stopping short of recommending criminal charges. Over nearly 350 pages, the investigation paints a troubling picture of Biden’s behavior and cognitive abilities — one almost certain to feed voters’ existing concerns about the 81-year-old president, whom it describes as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” National correspondent Betsey Woodruff Swan walks Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza through the report and its reverberations across Washington.

Transcript

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0:00.0

presented by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

0:09.3

Good morning, everyone. I'm Playbook co-author, Ryan Lizza. It's Friday, February 9th,

0:15.2

and what's driving the day is the fallout over the Robert Her report. The special counsel

0:20.6

last night issued a stinging report

0:22.7

about Joe Biden's handling of classified materials

0:25.6

over his decades-long career in politics.

0:28.6

And while Her did not recommend any criminal charges,

0:32.2

he included some language in the 388-page document

0:35.5

that is having major political implications.

0:38.8

President Biden himself responded to the report last night at a press conference,

0:43.8

at which he both condemned some of the personal shots Hur took at him about his memory,

0:49.0

but also perhaps confirmed those criticisms when he mixed up Mexico and Egypt.

0:54.5

Joining me now to talk about all of this is national correspondent Betsy Woodruff Swan,

0:58.8

who is covering the special counsel's investigation.

1:01.8

Good morning, Betsy.

1:03.4

Hi there.

1:03.9

Good morning.

1:04.7

I know the report is 388 pages, and we've got five minutes.

1:08.4

So let's quickly break down what the special report said.

1:14.3

The very first two sentences of this report in synopsis are Rob Her, the special counsel,

1:21.4

and his team concluded that it would not have been justified for them to bring criminal charges against President Biden

1:29.7

for his handling of classified documents. And essentially, they concluded that they would have made this

...

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