Newly released audio reveals Biden repeatedly forgetting key facts, fueling renewed scrutiny of his cognitive fitness.

Leaked Audio Reveals Startling Details of Biden's Interview

Newly released audio from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s 2023 interview with Joe Biden has reignited concerns over the former president’s mental acuity. The recordings, obtained by Axios and made public Friday, capture Biden struggling to recall major life events, key historical dates, and his own handling of classified materials while serving as vice president.

Throughout the six-hour interview, Biden repeatedly said, “I don’t remember,” when questioned about classified documents, including one related to Afghanistan found at his lake house. At one point, he speculated, “I guess I wanted to hang on to it for posterity’s sake,” but then seemed unsure. He also stumbled over questions about who packed boxes found in his garage and what those boxes contained.

Perhaps most striking was Biden’s confusion over when his son Beau died. Asked about the timing of events in 2017 and 2018, Biden said Beau was “either deployed or is dying.” A lawyer had to remind him that Beau passed away in May 2015. Later, Biden asked aloud, “When did Beau die?” The audio also captured Biden incorrectly stating that Donald Trump was elected in 2017. “Why do I have 2017 here?” he asked, to which a lawyer clarified, “That’s when you left office.”

These memory lapses, accompanied by slurred speech, muttering, and long pauses, provide new context to Hur’s controversial decision not to prosecute Biden for mishandling classified information. While Hur acknowledged Biden had willfully retained classified documents, including those with sensitive intelligence, he ultimately concluded no criminal charges were warranted. His reasoning emphasized that Biden would likely be viewed by a jury as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

Political Fallout Intensifies

The release of the audio has triggered a wave of backlash from Republican lawmakers. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer questioned whether Biden was capable of making decisions, citing the president’s apparent heavy reliance on the autopen for signing official documents. Comer launched an investigation Friday into who authorized use of the device, which had reportedly been used to issue presidential pardons.

“Clearly, Joe Biden wasn’t capable of making decisions,” Comer said. “He wasn’t coherent.” Former RFK Jr. advisor Link Lauren added, “Who was pulling the strings? Who were the unelected bureaucrats making decisions?”

Democrats, meanwhile, have defended Biden, saying Hur’s report was politically motivated. But the release of the audio tapes adds new fuel to bipartisan concerns. Hur’s findings, combined with Biden’s public gaffes and faltering debate performance against Donald Trump in June 2024, ultimately led to Biden withdrawing from the presidential race the following month.

In the interview, Biden at one point joked, “I’m a young man,” before going on to confuse key events and timelines. He insisted the classified documents he retained were not meant to be shared, especially in his book “Promise Me, Dad,” which focused on his son Beau. “It was confidential,” Biden said, clarifying that he didn’t mean it in a classified sense, but rather personal.

Despite the controversy, Biden remained defiant. When Hur’s report was first released in February 2024, he stated, “I’m well-meaning and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation.”

Still, the leaked audio has prompted renewed calls for transparency, as critics question who was truly making critical decisions in the final stretch of Biden’s presidency—and what implications this has for executive accountability going forward.