“But it goes back to this fundamental choice that we have with our nation,” Fetterman said, trying to compare Biden and Donald Trump.
“Do we want order instead of chaos? Do we want truth instead of lies? Do we want virtue against corruption and only corruption?”
Gun control advocate Maxwell Frost, the first member of Generation Z to be elected to the US Congress, also defended Biden, highlighting his accomplishments in his first term such as bipartisan gun reform and an economic recovery.
“Yes, well, we know President Biden is old; “It doesn’t seem like breaking news to me,” said the former director of March For Our Lives, who is 27 and 54 years younger than the president.
But what seems to me to be news is number one: the creation of 15 million jobs; Rising wages; Inflation is coming down. “This sounds like news.”
The Hoare report shocked Washington when it was released Thursday afternoon (Friday EST), giving Republicans new ammunition to claim that Biden is unfit for office.
It revealed that Biden intentionally kept and disclosed classified material, but his age and hazy memory are unlikely to lead to any court conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.
Biden sought to defend himself in a hastily called press conference later Thursday (Friday EST), only to undermine his insistence that “my memory is good” by confusing the presidents of Mexico and Egypt when answering a question about the war between Israel and Hamas.
The special counsel's report is controversial because opinion polls have long indicated that many Americans believe that Biden, who at 81 is already the oldest person to occupy the White House, should not run for another term.
Trump is 77 years old and has also been known to make gaffes, but he doesn't suffer from the same poor poll numbers when it comes to his health and vitality.
In a warning sign for Democrats, his popularity has also continued to rise every time criminal charges are brought against him, as he seeks to portray himself as the victim of a “witch hunt.”
Republicans quickly seized on Hoar's report, with some even calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which sets out procedures for replacing a president in the event of death, resignation, impeachment, or incapacity.
However, the White House called the idea a ruse and suggested that the inappropriate references to Biden's memory may have come about because Hoare did not want to anger Republicans for not indicting the president.
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Another special counsel appointed under Trump, David Weiss, faced backlash last year for not taking tougher action against Biden's son Hunter while investigating his tax returns.
“The environment we're in generates a lot of pressure because there are Republicans in Congress and other Republicans attacking prosecutors they don't like,” said Ian Sams, a spokesman for the White House counsel's office.
Biden is not the only person facing scrutiny over his handling of classified documents. Trump was also investigated for keeping and disclosing classified materials found during a raid on his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He is now awaiting trial.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was also investigated for materials found at his home in Indiana, but the investigation ended last June with a one-page letter and no charges were filed.
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