Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sparred with CNN anchor Laura Coates on Tuesday over whether there was a "double standard" for President Biden after former Special Counsel Robert Hur's testimony before Congress that day.
Hur testified that he chose not to bring charges against Biden after he "willfully retained classified materials" from when he was vice president because he "had to consider" the president’s "memory and overall mental state."
Democrats painted Hur as partisan and accused him of trying to help former President Trump in the November election by targeting Biden's memory.
CNN's Coates said she found Republicans' "fixation" on Biden's memory lapses "striking," as Democrats showed how Trump had also displayed memory lapses. She asked Jordan to "concede" that both Biden and Trump "have a similar issue."
"Oh, come on. Come on. I mean, everyone makes mistakes in life," Jordan scoffed.
He argued Biden's memory concerns were "obvious" to the public.
"President Trump – he’s as sharp as they come, his memory is as strong – I was just with him over the weekend. I know – and the American people can see it for themselves. They’ve seen these examples of President Biden forgetting things," he argued.
"Look, I take no satisfaction in saying that. President Biden’s the president of our country. You want our president to have his full faculties, but he obviously doesn’t, and the country knows it, and it doesn’t matter how many times Democrats say something different, the country can see for themselves and they understand it, and that is something that Mr. Hur pointed out," Jordan continued.
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Coates again pushed back on Jordan's defense of Trump by referring to a montage Democrats played during the hearing of verbal gaffes and memory lapses from the former president.
"I wonder why, if the notion is that there is a double standard being placed on Donald Trump, isn‘t it true that there‘s also a double-standard then for President Biden with respect to his mistakes? Why should the American people credit one versus the other if both make similar mistakes that had been played in that actual hearing?" she asked.
Jordan again laughed off the question.
"Laura, come on!" he retorted. "I mean, there were three people who have run for president the last three cycles – Secretary Clinton, President Biden, and President Trump – all three have been accused of mishandling classified information. Only one is getting prosecuted!"
"Hillary Clinton took a hammer to cell phones, took BleachBit, to laptops and computers. I mean, you gotta be kidding me! The idea that there’s not a double standard and the Justice Department isn’t going after President Trump, I think is laughable to disagree with that. Anybody can see it," he continued.
The Republican argued that Democrats had spent years and millions of dollars targeting Trump in probes and impeachments.
"Of course, there‘s a double standard and anybody with common sense can see it. And I think that‘s one of the key reasons why President Trump is ahead in every single poll and Joe Biden‘s approval numbers are at what, 35%," he said.
More than half of Americans believe Biden received special treatment in the investigation, according to a new poll by Reuters and Ipsos
