White House attacks ‘inappropriate’ Hur report |
Friday’s White House press briefing featured heavy pushback on special counsel Robert Hur‘s characterization of President Biden‘s memory in his report on the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents after his time as vice president. “When the inevitable conclusion is that the facts and the evidence don’t support any charges, you’re left to wonder why this report spends time making gratuitous and inappropriate criticisms of the president,” said Ian Sams, spokesman for the White House Counsel’s Office. - In the report, released Thursday, Hur announced he wasn’t bringing charges against Biden. Hur said there’s evidence Biden willfully retained documents but argued it would be difficult to establish beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Hur made frequent reference to Biden’s memory, including saying that “Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
In remarks Thursday, Biden strongly objected to Hur’s statement that the president didn’t remember when his son Beau Biden had died. Sams on Friday emphasized that Biden cooperated with the investigation and that his interviews coincided with the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. Vice President Harris on Friday said the report was “politically motivated.” The Hill’s Alex Gangitano wrote, “Age has become a huge political issue for the 81-year-old president, who is likely to face 77-year-old former President Donald Trump in November.” MORE: 5 takeaways from special counsel report on Biden’s classified documents |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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© AP Photo/John Locher, File |
Senate election roundup: Hogan, Rosendale jump in
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NY-03 special election by the numbers |
New York’s 3rd Congressional District special election on Tuesday decides who succeeds expelled former Rep. George Santos (R). The result will significantly impact the House, where the narrowness of the GOP’s majority makes it more likely that the fate of certain measures rests on a vote or two. One recent example: The failed attempt to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. |
© Flourish Graphic / The Hill, Rachel Scully |
Key figures: Polls show a tight race between former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) and registered Democrat-running-Republican Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator. - The recent Newsday/Siena College poll above showed Suozzi and Pilip tied within the margin of error (MOE = 4.2 percentage points).
- An Emerson College Polling/PIX11 poll from January also had Pilip and Suozzi tied within the MOE (3.1 percentage points), with Suozzi at 45 percent and Pilip at 42 percent. That poll included 975 registered voters.
Suozzi’s financial advantage is more pronounced; he’d brought in $4.5 million as of Jan. 24, compared to Pilip’s $1.3 million. Key issue: The Hill’s Jared Gans recently explored how border politics are playing into the race, with Pilip referring to her opponent as “Sanctuary Tom Suozzi” and Suozzi framing his record as moderate and bipartisan. Pilip was born in Ethiopia. She immigrated to Israel and then the United States. |
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Biden issues guidance on U.S. weapons sales |
President Biden issued new guidance on U.S. weapons sales amid calls for more scrutiny from some Senate Democrats concerned about how Israel is carrying out military operations in Gaza. As The Hill’s Laura Kelly summarized, the guidance requires the U.S. to receive reassurances that recipient countries use U.S. weapons in compliance with international law “and that no efforts are made to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in a combat zone.” Read Kelly’s report here. Related news: Senate to work Super Bowl weekend after Paul vows to delay Ukraine funding |
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Stefanik says she wouldn’t have done what Pence did
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House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a rumored potential running mate for former President Trump, told CNN she “would not have done what Mike Pence did,” referring to the certification of 2020 presidential election results. |
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Here’s who’s coming up on the Sunday shows: |
CBS’s “Face the Nation”: GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley. NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). ABC’s “This Week”: Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). MSNBC’s “The Weekend”: Former national security adviser John Bolton. MSNBC’s “Velshi”: Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.). MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki”: Fmr. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). MSNBC’s “Alex Witt Reports”: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D). MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). |
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4 days until New York’s 3rd Congressional District special election. 15 days until South Carolina’s Republican primary. |
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Saturday: GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley each hold campaign events in South Carolina. Sunday: Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Here are some numbers to know heading into the weekend: |
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