Happy Wednesday! Today’s Brew comes from Capitol Hill, where Special Counsel Robert Hur yesterday defended his report detailing President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified information and his description of a feeble old man suffering so much memory loss that no jury would have the heart to convict him. A Big-Picture Summary Hur completely contradicted House Judicial Chairman Jerry Nadler's statement that the Special Counsel's report exonerated Biden, emphatically saying: "I did not exonerate him, and that word did not appear in my report." Rather, he said, Biden willfully kept and shared classified information, stashed classified information haphazardly all over his house, and lied both to him and the American people. Hur also insisted in his testimony before Congress that he “had to consider” Biden’s deteriorating mental health when weighing whether to press charges. Meanwhile, the transcript of Biden’s interview with the Special Counsel’s office confirms he did not remember the year of his son’s death, when he was vice president or when Trump was elected, and that he answered scores of questions with variations of “I have no g***** idea.” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., approached the matter from a different direction. "In this case, did you reach a conclusion that this man was outright innocent?" Said Hur, "That conclusion is not reflected in my report." Hur did conclude that Biden willfully retained and shared classified information for, among other reasons, “pride and money.” The former VP was getting an $8 million book advance, Hur said, and he wanted to present himself as presidential in it. Hours after the DOJ released Hur’s report last month, the president raced in front of the cameras, bellowing, “I guarantee I did not share classified information!” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., asked Hur if that was true. Hur replied, “That is inconsistent with the findings.” For a more detailed breakdown of the testimony, see the web version of today’s Brew. The Big Guy’s Memory’s Shot Hur refused to prosecute Joe Biden because he didn’t feel a jury would convict the president due to his “poor memory.” Biden, the White House, and Democrats were livid that Hur included such a devastating assessment of his diminished capacity. Hur repeatedly insisted Biden’s mental status mattered. "The evidence and the president himself put his memory squarely at issue. My assessment was necessary and accurate and fair." Only hours before the hearing, the DOJ released the transcript (while omitting the audio) of Biden’s five-hour interview with the Special Counsel. The transcript confirms several items not only reported by Hur, but challenged by Biden. Biden did not know what year his son Beau died. He had to be prompted. (And it was Biden, not Hur, who brought Beau up.) He did not know when he was vice president. (He had to be reminded by aides.) He did not know what year Donald Trump was elected. (He had to be corrected.) He twice could not remember what a fax machine was called. He would go on long, scattered, fragmented, disconnected, rants that had nothing to do with the question asked. (National Pulse isolates one such rant that delves into country clubs and burnt male organs.) Axios gives you a quick list of quotes: “'When did I announce for president [in 2019]?' he asked. "'If it was 2013 — when did I stop being vice president?' "'In 2009, am I still vice president?' (NOTE: That’s the year he was sworn in as vice president.) "'Trump gets elected in November of 2017?' Biden asked, before someone noted it was November 2016." At the conclusion of Hur's morning testimony, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Nathanial Moran ran through some of Hur's conclusions about Biden's mental fitness. This includes phrases like Biden's "significantly limited" memory, "diminished capacities and faulty memory," and "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory." Moran said that in his days as a judge he handled many guardianship cases, and the phrases Hur used to describe Biden's mental condition raised "red flags" in his mind. Moran then noted the similarities between Hur's words and the District of Columbia's definition of when guardianship over an "incapacitated individual" is warranted. Ultimately, this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Undoubtedly, Biden has treated our nation's secrets with as much carelessness, disregard, and self-interest as he has the murder of Laken Riley, and has done so for decades. Most likely, he will get away with it. The evidence is also clear that Biden lied to the faces of the American people in his press conference in the wake of Hur's report being released. Only November will tell if he pays a political price for his deceit. However, the matter at hand remains: Robert Hur concluded that Joe Biden is too mentally unfit to face a jury. He did not back off that assertion, even in the face of attacks. The transcript of his interview confirms his assessment. In fact, Hur suggested to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, that the audio recording would further amplify his assessment. Let the White House claim what it wants about Hur being wrong about Biden's mental fitness; the fact that the White House hasn't demanded its release to support its claims indicates how damaging that audio actually is. Which means we're in a fix: With what is known of his condition, would Joe Biden — if he were not Joe Biden — be placed under a guardianship rather than keep his place as Commander-in-Chief? Along The Stream We also take a deep look at the Interim Report from the House Subcommittee investigating January 6 and the J6 Committee. "Pelosi-Cheney J6 Committee a Rule-Shattering, Evidence-Destroying, Partisan Scam Disinterested in the Truth." | 
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