House GOP Plan to Continue Pushing for Answers on Biden’s Age

House Republicans are planning to keep concerns about President Joe Biden’s age and capabilities in the spotlight for several weeks or even months. They are considering holding hearings that might include testimony from special counsel Robert Hur, who cited the 81-year-old leader’s mental state when deciding not to charge him in a documents case.

Axios, citing sources close to House GOP leaders, reported that these efforts will cast doubt on the White House and Biden as he seeks re-election.

The plans to keep Biden’s age in the spotlight will likely involve subpoenas for recordings and documents regarding Hur’s interview with the president. The chairmen of three House committees wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday to demand this information.

In their letter, Chairmen James Comer, Oversight and Accountability; Jim Jordan, Judiciary; and Jason Smith, Ways and Means, said they are seeking information as part of their ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden’s mishandling of classified information in connection with his family’s international business dealings. They demanded that the records be produced by next Monday.

The Department of Justice and the White House declined to comment on the House letter.

By seeking testimony, the House GOP wants to ask how the storage of sensitive documents could have endangered national security, sources told Axios.

Special counsels often testify when they conclude reports, Garland said in an interview in October. If Hur testifies, Democrats are expected to try to undermine him because he is an appointee of former President Donald Trump. Hur, however, has been praised in the past by Democrats over his professionalism.

Biden’s team has been pushing back at Hur’s findings, but top Democrats are concerned about his age issues. If he wins a second term, he will be in office until he is 86 years old. The president’s frequent gaffes are also a concern.

A leadership source told Axios that Hur’s testimony would likely be before the House Judiciary Committee, where “someone might ask him if Biden is unfit to lead.” The hearing would also focus on the national security hazards of Biden’s document storage, his fitness for office, and the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation.

However, Republicans could face a backlash on the inquiry, considering that Trump is facing 32 felony counts related to retention of documents in Florida. A White House source said this would draw even more attention to Trump’s potential criminal guilt.

Meanwhile, the administration may release a likely redacted transcript of the Biden interview with Hur, according to Ian Sams, the White House spokesman on investigations.