Prominent liberals defended Biden's "strong mental acuity" after special counsel Robert Hur's report called out the leader's "poor memory." (Nicole Neri/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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"I don't remember," Biden replied. "And I'm not supposed to speculate, right?"
"Correct," Biden's attorney, Bob Bauer, chimed in.
"So, OK, well, I don't remember, and it may have been — I just don't remember," the former president mumbled.
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After explaining that he was referring to a conversation with Zwonitzer about a handwritten memo he wrote for former President Barack Obama, Biden replied, "I probably did. I don't remember specifically, but my guess is I may have done that."
Then, leading to the "classified stuff downstairs" comment, Zwonitzer asked Biden if he had found any documents in his home or if he told Zwonitzer about finding any while they worked together on the book in 2017.
Stumbling over his words, Biden replied, "No, the only thing I can remember is I wanted to be clear to him that I didn't want what he just heard me say about the memo to Barack, even though it wasn't a top secret thing (indiscernible), I didn't, I didn't want any of that mentioned. It was confidential."
This image from special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation released by the Department of Justice Feb. 8, 2024, shows boxes next to Joe Biden’s desk in his Delaware home office in 2019. (U.S. Department of Justice)
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While the White House released the transcripts during his presidency, the audio of the interviews remained under wraps, with some speculating about his mental state as the reason.
Hur's investigation, which concluded in 2024, found Biden should not be criminally charged for mishandling and retaining classified documents that detailed military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other national security topics.
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After Hur described the former president as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," Biden fired back, saying, "I'm well-meaning, and I'm an elderly man, and I know what the hell I'm doing. I've been president. I put this country back on its feet. I don't need his recommendation."
Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-repeatedly-says-i-dont-remember-regarding-classified-docs-newly-released-hur-interview-audio