Garland says he has ‘complete confidence’ in Biden amid mental fitness concerns

Attorney General Merrick Garland defended President Joe Biden on Tuesday, stating that he has “complete confidence” in the president’s ability to lead the country amid concerns over Biden’s mental fitness. 

In his February report on the president’s handling of classified documents, special counsel Robert Hur made no criminal referrals or charges against Biden but expressed concerns over his mental capabilities. 

Hur had claimed that it would be hard to convince a jury to convict the president of a “serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness,” and that Biden would likely present himself as a well-meaning elderly man with poor memory.

Garland, however, stated that although he was not testifying on the specifics of Hur’s report, from his own experience with Biden he had “complete confidence” in the president’s mental ability to serve as commander-in-chief.

““I have watched him expertly guide meetings of staff and Cabinet members on issues of foreign affairs and military strategy and policy in the incredibly complex world in which we now face and in which he has been decisive in instructions to the staff and decisive in making the decisions necessary to protect the country,” Garland told lawmakers in a House committee hearing about funding for the Justice Department, per the New York Post. "The president has no impairment,” he added.

The comments were, in part, responding to Virginia GOP Rep. Ben Cline’s questions on the president’s mental fitness. Cline also claimed there was a perception that the Justice Department is biased, and that there is a “crisis of confidence in this country.” 

Cline additionally noted that the crisis comes as former President Donald Trump faces his own criminal charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Trump has pleaded “not guilty” to all charges.