#883 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday March 21)
Good morning,
HOW BIDEN PERFORMED AND WHY HUR’S CONCLUSIONS WERE INAPPROPRIATE
I’m not sure how many of you have conducted a deposition, been deposed, or read a deposition transcript. If you haven’t, let me tell you that to be questioned under oath is stressful, remembering specific events is often problematic, and answers are hardly impressive oratory. I thought I’d provide a bit of context in the wake of the Hur report on President Biden’s questioning. I do not, however, forgive his many outrageous outbursts (see below). Here are my thoughts:
1. Unless the person is made of stone and regardless of the relative comfort of the environment in which they are questioned (Biden and Trump are afforded concessions that we mere mortals are not allowed), any legal proceeding where one is a witness or deponent is nerve wracking.
2. Even if the deponent’s command of the English language is a mix of Churchill, Martin Luther King, and William F. Buckley, the most common words in virtually any interview transcript are “um,” “you know,” “er,” “I mean…,” “you know,” and “can you repeat that question?”
3. When being questioned about events from years ago, deponents are often prompted by counsel or by notes to recall details. More often than not, they will misstate and correct themselves.
4. “I don’t recall” is the common response. Is this because they are being cagey or duplicitous? In some cases, perhaps. In most cases, it’s because people simply don’t recall.
5. Rarely are answers, particularly those conveying a complex thought or series of events, comprised of sentences in the Queen’s English, grouped together in well-organized paragraphs. And rarely are the stories not corrected mid-way.
6. This is the most important point of all: The report did not disclose intent of Mr. Biden to retain classified records. It did not disclose hiding documents from federal authorities. It did not disclose attempts to hide the records. It did not disclose instructions to others to move records. It did not disclose sharing classified information with friends. To the extent “classified” information was shared with an author, these were Biden’s personal notes and not confidential information that compromised our sources. It did not disclose lying. All of these, however, were uncovered in Mr. Trump’s conscious, repeated, deliberate attempts to retain classified information, retain that information when instructed by a court to turn it over, and share information with dinner guests without security clearance. There is no equivalency here.
REMEMBERING WHAT ONE SOMETIMES CHOOSES TO FORGET
Finally, on the cruelty of jumping all over Biden because he didn’t recall the year of his wife’s death or son Beau’s death, let me just say that I empathize here. Those who haven’t lost someone close to them—much less multiple people—you are lucky. I have lost my mother, my father, my sister, and my son. If you asked me today to recall the dates of their deaths, I would be hard-pressed to recall them under the questioning of an attorney, being recorded by a court stenographer, in a room full of people judging my every move. Hell, I often can’t remember the name of someone I’ve known for years. The fact is that we don’t remember stuff. And in the case of family tragedy, perhaps that, in order to survive, we sublimate these memories in order to move forward.
REMEMBERING FACTS AND DELIVERING IMPORTANT INFORMATION WHEN IT COUNTS
When one takes into account Mr. Biden’s lifetime struggle with a speech impediment, his occasional stuttering can be forgiven. This disability and Mr. Biden’s lapses under questioning hardly seem newsworthy. A far better barometer of Biden’s mental acuity was on display in the State of the Union address this month, as well as in the State of the Union last year. There are those who say he was just reading from a teleprompter. Let’s just be clear that ALL such public speeches by Presidents and national figures are carefully scripted. While they are buffed-up by speechwriters, the general terms of the speech are the ideas of the orator.
Part of the delivery of a speech is when the speaker senses the mood of the room (or responds to hecklers), necessarily veering off course. This requires a level of intelligence and knowledge of the facts of which Mr. Trump possesses neither. Lest we forget, when Mr. Trump goes “off script,” we are treated to any number of incorrect statements, lies, and incoherent ramblings. That Mr. Biden has been able to joust with hecklers in two successive States of the Union demonstrates an ability to think and reason in real time in the heat of the moment.
I know very few people who support Trump and also believe he is mentally stable or capable of stringing along words in a manner that makes sense.
Before the more conservative among you scream that I’m giving Biden a “free pass,” I also forgive the bumbling, often incoherent and inarticulate ramblings of Trump in his various questionings under oath.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
I have to bring back one of my favorite features: “In his own words,” when I simply quote our 45th president in his own words. In these instances from over the last week, he again presents himself as dangerous and unhinged:
“Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a blood bath for the whole—that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a blood bath for the country.”
The January 6, 2021 rioters are “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots.” He went on to promise to help them if elected.
He said that if he didn’t win in November, “I don’t think you’re going to have another election, or certainly not an election that’s meaningful.”
In referring to young immigrants (claiming they were emptied from prisons): “I don’t know if you call them people in some cases…They’re not people, in my opinion.” He later referred to them as “animals.”
He referred to Governor Gavin Newsom as “Gavin New-scum,” said Biden was a “dumb son of a ---,” called Biden a “stupid president.”
Even if he has these opinions, he continues his race to the gutter with his language and lack of decency. And he is a coin-flip away from being president again.
WHO TAKES A COGNITION TEST?
A final question on this question of mental acuity. Did you ever stop and ask yourself why, exactly, Mr. Trump took a cognition test? At the time, he touted his mental capacity and high intelligence (about a test that asks if someone can recognize animals or draw a square). But the test is not one designed to measure intelligence but rather basic cognitive abilities. One can Google samples of the questions. Getting a couple of answers wrong can be a clear indicator of a serious problems. Getting the answers right is hardly something to add to one’s resume. But there never has been an explanation of why the test was administered. This test is administered when there is some concern about the patient’s cognitive decline and/or a desire to establish a baseline for further anticipated decline. I’d love for Trump to make the physician ordering the test available for questioning—with or without a court reporter.
Have a great day,
Glenn