First lady Jill Biden today pleaded with donors to react as angrily as she did to last week’s special counsel report questioning her husband’s mental fitness.
In a fundraising memo seeking contributions up to $500, Biden said that her 81-year-old husband has brought “wisdom, empathy, and vision” into the White House that has benefited the nation.
She decried special counsel Robert Hur for repeated mentions of Joe Biden’s foggy mind, especially his inability to recall the year their son Beau died “even within several years.”
As the president did the day Hur’s report was released, Jill Biden took offense to the special counsel’s reference to Beau Biden, who died May 30, 2015, of brain cancer.
Following Vice President Kamala Harris in accusing Hur, appointed by Joe Biden’s attorney general, of using the report as a political attack, Jill Biden wrote, “I don’t know what this special counsel was trying to achieve. We should give everyone grace, and I can’t imagine someone would try to use our son’s death to score political points. If you’ve experienced a loss like that, you know that you don’t measure it in years — you measure it in grief.”
She said their son’s death gave Joe Biden “purpose,” adding, “That’s what keeps Joe going, serving you and the country we love.”
The nearly 400-page report said that while Joe Biden “willfully” trafficked in classified documents after leaving government service, charging him would be a waste of time because he is so forgetful that a jury would chalk his actions up to an old man with a distracted, or worse, mind.
The references to Joe Biden’s hazy brain have reinforced the public’s view that he is too old to serve, something the White House has tried to push back on.
Unable to do so, the first lady took a stab at it in her memo to donors.
“Joe is 81, that’s true, but he’s 81 doing more in an hour than most people do in a day. Joe has wisdom, empathy, and vision,” she wrote. “He has delivered on so many of his promises as president precisely because he’s learned a lot in those 81 years. His age, with his experience and expertise, is an incredible asset and he proves it every day.”
She also took a try at rewriting history under her husband’s presidency. For example, she said inflation has faded, though reports today are that it is far higher than expected and likely to stall economy-improving cuts in interest rates.
Jill Biden also said the media is not giving her husband enough credit.
Jill Biden wrote, “Look at all he’s accomplished: He brought our country back from COVID. He brought our economy back from the brink. He created 14 million jobs. Gas prices are down. Inflation is down. Energy costs are down. He got bipartisan legislation passed — even in the midst of this hyper-partisan environment. The media may not give him credit, but I’m thankful you realize all he’s done for this country.”
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Below is her full note:
I’ve heard from so many of you asking about the Special Counsel’s report last week. Thank you for your love and support.
You probably know the basics: Joe cooperated fully with a Special Counsel’s investigation and they found he did nothing wrong — no criminal charges were warranted. I thought Heather Cox Richardson wrote about it eloquently here.
The reason I’m writing is because of what else was in the report: Inaccurate and personal political attacks about Joe. Rather than just saying the case was closed, as they have for others, the Special Counsel claimed that Joe “couldn’t remember the year his son died.” Believe me, like anyone who has lost a child, Beau and his death never leave him.
I hope you can imagine how it felt to read that attack — not just as Joe’s wife, but as Beau’s mother.
I don’t know what this special counsel was trying to achieve. We should give everyone grace, and I can’t imagine someone would try to use our son’s death to score political points. If you’ve experienced a loss like that, you know that you don’t measure it in years — you measure it in grief.
May 30th is a day forever etched on our hearts. It shattered me, it shattered our family.
So many of you know that feeling after you lose a loved one, where you feel like you can’t get off the floor. What helped me, and what helped Joe, was to find purpose. That’s what keeps Joe going, serving you and the country we love.
Joe is 81, that’s true, but he’s 81 doing more in an hour than most people do in a day. Joe has wisdom, empathy, and vision. He has delivered on so many of his promises as president precisely because he’s learned a lot in those 81 years. His age, with his experience and expertise, is an incredible asset and he proves it every day.
Look at all he’s accomplished: He brought our country back from COVID. He brought our economy back from the brink. He created 14 million jobs. Gas prices are down. Inflation is down. Energy costs are down. He got bipartisan legislation passed — even in the midst of this hyper-partisan environment. The media may not give him credit, but I’m thankful you realize all he’s done for this country.
Joe is the most resilient person I’ve ever known. When he gets knocked down, he gets back up and gets back to work. That’s what he’s doing.
It is just so meaningful to both of us to have you behind us. Your support is what keeps this campaign moving forward.
At some point in our lives, we’ll all experience grief or loss. We’ll go through challenging moments and twists and turns. But we find joy together, we persevere together, and ultimately we’ll prevail together.
Thank you for being part of our campaign.
Love,
Jill
