Republican Predicts Biden Will Use 'Off the Rails' Special Counsel Report

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Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in October 2023. She is a graduate of The State University of New York at Oneonta. You can get in touch with Rachel by emailing r.dobkin@newsweek.com. Languages: English.

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Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as a special correspondent for Newsweek and is currently working toward his Master of Arts within the politics concentration at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he serves as the school's student representative in the University Senate and the Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Columbia Alumni Association.

Previously, he served as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with Newsweek, Alex has covered the speakership of Mike Johnson, the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the midterm elections of 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and other key congressional stories of the Biden presidency.

Alex additionally provides coverage of Newsweek ownership and has produced investigative reporting on legal troubles facing the Olivet Assembly, a religious entity to which Newsweek's two owners formerly held ties.

Prior to covering Congress, Alex reported on matters of U.S. national security, holding press credentials for both the U.S. Capitol and the Department of Defense. Before joining Newsweek, Alex wrote for The American Prospect, Vice News, WDIV-TV NBC Local 4 News in Detroit, and other regional outlets.

His entry into the media industry began at Syracuse University where he majored in magazine journalism and produced award-winning coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border. At Syracuse, Alex also completed majors in policy studies as well as citizenship & civic engagement and was recognized as a Remembrance Scholar, one of the university's highest honors.

Alex was selected by the National Press Foundation to serve as a Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellow in 2024. He holds memberships with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) organization.

Contact Alex with tips and feedback at a.rouhandeh@newsweek.com, and stay updated on his reporting by following him on social media at @AlexRouhandeh.

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Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, predicted to Newsweek on Wednesday that Joe Biden's team will use special counsel Robert Hur's recent report as a potential defense if the president were to be impeached.

Last week, Hur, a Republican who served as U.S. attorney in Maryland from 2018 to 2021 after being appointed by former President Donald Trump, released a bombshell report as part of the Department of Justice's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.

In the report, Hur characterizes Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." While the president was not criminally charged, his reelection campaign faced a blow, with critics voicing concerns over his mental fitness.

At a press conference last Thursday night, Biden said, "My memory's fine," adding that "I know what the hell I'm doing." Meanwhile, Biden's personal lawyer said that Hur's "shabby" report "went off the rails" on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.

Biden/Burchett
President Joe Biden (left) speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on February 8 in Washington, D.C. Representative Tim Burchett (right) speaks at the U.S. Capitol on February 13 in Washington, D.C.... Nathan Howard/ Alex Wong/Getty Images

Meanwhile, House Republicans continue their impeachment inquiry into Biden over his son Hunter's foreign business dealings. The president is alleged to have been involved with and benefited from his son's dealings, which the White House has repeatedly denied.

Burchett, a conservative known for his candor with the press, was asked by Newsweek on Wednesday if it is time to impeach Biden, following a successful House vote to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Mayorkas was impeached by a 214 to 213 vote on Tuesday over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border as a surge of illegal migrants flood into America.

"Well, his mental capacity of course is in question right now," Burchett said of Biden. "With that press conference, he didn't do himself any favors there. I've gone from anger towards him to pity actually. It's just beyond belief how bad his condition is."

Burchett was referring to the president's press conference Thursday night. Biden mistakenly referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the "president of Mexico" while answering a question about the conflict in Gaza.

Newsweek reached out to Biden's campaign and the White House via email for comment.

Burchett said the House "probably" has the votes to impeach Biden, adding, "But I think his own party and his own family need to make some decision at this point. I think it's a point of embarrassment actually."

When asked if there is still energy in the House to impeach the president, Burchett said: "I don't know if the energy is there or not. There's a lot of anger towards him, just his inactivity on the border and everything else, of course just the incredible corruption.

"I honestly think what they're going to use as their defense is his mental capacity. That recent release, whatever you want to call it, was a preemptive strike on their part to lay the ground that he's not mentally well, and that'll free him up not to be convicted."

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About the writer

Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in October 2023. She is a graduate of The State University of New York at Oneonta. You can get in touch with Rachel by emailing r.dobkin@newsweek.com. Languages: English.

Writers Page
and

Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as a special correspondent for Newsweek and is currently working toward his Master of Arts within the politics concentration at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he serves as the school's student representative in the University Senate and the Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Columbia Alumni Association.

Previously, he served as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with Newsweek, Alex has covered the speakership of Mike Johnson, the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the midterm elections of 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and other key congressional stories of the Biden presidency.

Alex additionally provides coverage of Newsweek ownership and has produced investigative reporting on legal troubles facing the Olivet Assembly, a religious entity to which Newsweek's two owners formerly held ties.

Prior to covering Congress, Alex reported on matters of U.S. national security, holding press credentials for both the U.S. Capitol and the Department of Defense. Before joining Newsweek, Alex wrote for The American Prospect, Vice News, WDIV-TV NBC Local 4 News in Detroit, and other regional outlets.

His entry into the media industry began at Syracuse University where he majored in magazine journalism and produced award-winning coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border. At Syracuse, Alex also completed majors in policy studies as well as citizenship & civic engagement and was recognized as a Remembrance Scholar, one of the university's highest honors.

Alex was selected by the National Press Foundation to serve as a Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellow in 2024. He holds memberships with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) organization.

Contact Alex with tips and feedback at a.rouhandeh@newsweek.com, and stay updated on his reporting by following him on social media at @AlexRouhandeh.

Writers Page

Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more