Joe Biden claimed executive privilege over the recording of his interview with former special counsel Robert Hur on Thursday. The move came after House Republicans subpoenaed the tape as part of its investigation into the issue.
A transcript of the interview was released some months prior, with Hur describing Biden as confused and having memory issues throughout. Initially, the White House lied, claiming that the special counsel brought up the death of the president’s son, leaving him flustered. Hur debunked that during congressional testimony, showing that it was Biden who brought it up, getting the year of death wrong in the process.
See if you can spot the problem with the reason the president gave for claiming executive privilege
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House blocks release of audio of Biden’s special counsel interview, arguing GOP wants it for political reasons.
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) May 16, 2024
Now, I’m no expert on executive privilege, though I dabble as best I can. Still, I’m pretty sure there’s no provision for claiming it solely because a president believes the result will harm him politically. Yet, that’s exactly what Biden is admitting to doing. Naturally, the above CNN reporter (and the Associated Press among others who repeated Biden’s justification) aren’t the least bit bothered by that and are showing zero journalistic curiosity.
Imagine if Donald Trump had claimed executive privilege and came right and said he did so because he wanted to deny Democrats a political victory. How would Seung Min Kim, who published she was celebrating “impeachmas” during the former president’s term, react?
What is Biden really worried about, though? Given the transcript is already out there, the president must have sounded incredibly senile on the tape of the interview.
Kind of odd to claim executive privilege over the recording when the transcript has already been released. Biden must sound too feeble-minded.
— LB (@beyondreasdoubt) May 16, 2024
I’ll admit that was the first thing that came to mind for me as well. Biden does not want voters to hear his brain breaking as he’s questioned about allegedly committing multiple federal crimes. That is, assuming the transcript we’ve been given wasn’t altered. Perhaps there is something else he’s hiding besides being mentally incapable of being president. Recall that the White House originally pressured Hur to alter his report to cover up the senility Biden showed during the interview.
READ: White House Tried to Pressure Robert Hur to Hide Details of Joe Biden’s Senility
Are Republicans wanting the tape to expose the rot at the core of Joe Biden and his administration? Do they also want to show voters that the president is mentally unqualified in the process? Of course, those are the reasons. So what? That doing so will harm Biden politically is a result of his own decisions, and both are legitimate issues that Americans deserve full disclosure on.
Claiming executive privilege gives the game away on all fronts. He doesn’t want his senility to be highlighted by putting a voice to the transcript, and he doesn’t want the American people to be reminded that he got away with a crime because he’s a member of the right political party. With that said, the Streisand effect is a real thing, and all Biden has done is draw more attention to the tape.
