- Biden claimed his memory is fine, but he couldn't recall when his son died.
- He inadvertently referred to Egyptian leader Abdul Fattah al-Sisi as the "president of Mexico."
- Biden defended his memory, stating he was "very occupied... in the middle of handling an international crisis."
Insisting that his memory is fine, Biden emotionally confronted a claim that he couldn't recollect when his son died, stating, "How the hell dare he raise that?"
The inquiry determined that Mr. Biden "wilfully retained and disclosed" classified files but chose not to charge him.
Special Counsel Robert Hur from the Department of Justice determined that Mr. Biden had improperly kept classified documents related to military and foreign policy in Afghanistan after serving as vice president.
The scathing 345-page report, released earlier in the day, stated that the president's memory had "significant limitations."
Even as reporters questioned his age and mental acuity, Mr. Biden inadvertently referred to Egyptian leader Abdul Fattah al-Sisi as the "president of Mexico."
When asked to comment on the latest in the Israel-Gaza war, he stated, "I think as you know initially, the president of Mexico, Sisi, did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in."
Mr. Hur interviewed the 81-year-old president for over five hours as part of the inquiry.
The special counsel, a Republican appointed to the role by Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland, stated that Mr. Biden could not recall when he was vice president (from 2009 to 2017), or "even within several years, when his son Beau died" (2015).
During Thursday night's news conference, an emotional Mr. Biden lashed out at the passages casting doubt on his recollection of events.
"Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, was none of their damn business," he said.
"I don't need anyone to remind me when he [Beau Biden] passed away."
He stated that he was "very occupied... in the middle of handling an international crisis" when the special counsel interviewed him from 8-9 October last year - just as the Israel-Gaza war erupted.
[embedpost slug="trump-optimistic-about-union-defections-from-biden-camp/"]
