Former US President Joe Biden struggled to recall key milestones from his own life during an interview two years ago with a justice department investigator, according to audio.
A recording obtained by political outlet Axios shows the Democrat appeared to have trouble remembering the year he left office as vice-president, or the date of his son Beau’s death.
White House aides at the time denied the president had such memory lapses. Biden was questioned by Special Counsel Robert Hur’s team about why he had kept classified documents at his home and former office.
The prosecutor ultimately decided not to charge the president despite finding he had retained classified material.
In a February 2024 report that provoked the ire of the White House and Democrats, Hur had described Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”.
The audio is an excerpt from interviews on two days in October 2023. The Biden justice department previously made available the transcripts following the release of the special counsel’s report in February 2024.
It is not clear how Axios obtained the recording, but President Donald Trump’s administration has been planning to release the full interview.
The Biden administration refused to release the tape last year, calling it “constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials” and arguing that Republicans wanted to “manipulate” it for “potential political gain”.
The Hur report’s release was a difficult moment for Biden at the beginning of his re-election campaign, and highlighted one of his biggest political weaknesses – voter concerns about his age and lucidity.
The then-president hit back at the time, insisting: “My memory is fine”.
A new book alleges the White House covered up Biden’s condition, which was said to be so poor last year that aides discussed putting him in a wheelchair.
He was also unable to recognise Hollywood actor George Clooney or recall the names of key aides, according to Original Sin, by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson.
